


Orange, Violet, Indigo

by BeyondStars



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Gen, Light gore in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2018-10-14 02:59:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 37,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10527429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeyondStars/pseuds/BeyondStars
Summary: The group are searching for the three lesser known dragon warriors - Orenjiryuu, Murasakiryuu and Koniroryuu. One is said to live deep in a forest, the others in a vast canyon network. What are the warriors like? Will they want to join the group? Lots of silly dragons and silly scenarios.





	1. The Forest Dragon, Part 1

“Are you absolutely certain this is where we’re meant to be?”

The group had entered an incredibly dense forest area, the branches of the trees above interlocking and blocking out most of the afternoon sun. Any light that did make it through came down in thin rays at random. It was as if they had stepped into a completely different world, where there was no sign or sound of human existence and nature had dominated all. The sound of bustling town streets had been replaced with the songs of birds too high up to see, the chattering of villagers with the humming of insects. The only footsteps to be heard were their own. They had been walking around for hours, seemingly in circles, and the youngest of the group was beginning to grow frustrated.

“I said, are you sure this is where we’re meant to be? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that same set of roots at least three times, and we’ve been here for ages!” Yoon stopped at the centre of the now very familiar clearing, hands on his hips. The others formed a semi-circle in front of him, also starting to feel the fatigue that had been settling in on them for a while.

“Well, Kija said we’re close, right?” Yona chirped, “I think we just need to take a break and then keep looking.”

Hak sighed. “I’m beginning to think that they don’t even have any sisters. Droopy Eyes probably made it up because having sisters sounded more appealing than having brothers. ‘More beautiful to look at’ or some crap, probably.”

The expected retort from either dragon never came, and as the three turned to look they saw why. Kija was staring at the ground, his brows knitted together in annoyance. Jae-ha was looking off to his left, an expression of exasperation painted on his usually smiling features. Shin-ah had his usual blank expression, but you could bet that his eyes were constantly searching the darkness of the trees beyond the clearing behind his mask. It was Zeno who turned, amazingly still smiling, to face the trio.

“Orenjiryuu is real alright! It just seems like she doesn’t feel like showing herself yet. Orenjiryuus have always been very shy, they don’t like strangers much.” He gestured to the thicket of trees. “And as you can see, they never really have to worry about anyone from outside finding them. This place is really hard to navigate! Even Seiryuu is having trouble out here! Right, Seiryuu?” Shin-ah nodded, not taking his eyes off the spot he was fixated on.

A moment of brief silence passed, and then Yoon spoke up again. “Wait a minute. Zeno, if you know that Orenjiryuus are shy, then that must mean you’ve met past ones before, right? So you know where the village is, right? Please tell me you haven’t forgotten.” Zeno tilted his head to the side slightly, eyes turned up towards the sky while he thought about what Yoon had asked.

“Would it have helped if Zeno had remembered?”

Hak and Yoon both groaned, while Yona laughed slightly and then sighed. Yoon was ready to give Zeno an earful – he practically had steam coming out of his ears by this point – when finally, Kija spoke.

“I don’t understand, why isn’t she approaching us? She must know we’re all here together, and I can feel that she is definitely here too. Why is she hiding from her brothers?” Kija was standing in one of the larger streams of sunlight, his hair seeming to give off a light source of its own. The scales on his right hand gleamed like armour as he curled his hands into fists and released them again.

“Is something wrong?” Yona asked, concern crossing her face.

Jae-ha ran a hand through his hair, exasperation evident in his voice. “It would appear that our dear sister doesn’t want to be close to us. In other words, she’s avoiding us.”

“Yeah, she’s avoiding you because she doesn’t exist. The smell of the flowers in this place is messing with your heads, and any orange lights you’re supposedly seeing is the result of it. This is a waste of our time” Hak leaned against a tree at the edge of the clearing, “I think it’s time to leave before we all go crazy.”

“We are _not_ crazy! She is here!” Kija’s face flushed red with agitation. “It’s just… it seems to be that every time we move, she goes in the opposite direction. Or she’ll hover in one place for a short while and then suddenly change location. What Jae-ha said seems to be true. She is avoiding us, and very carefully too.” He turned to Yona. “I’m sorry, Princess, this is much more difficult than I thought it would be. You must be exhausted.” The dragons’ faces showed a range of emotions – guilt for making Yona and the others walk around for so long, and disappointment in themselves.

Yona simply smiled and walked towards them. “It’s alright, everyone, I know you’re all trying your best. There could be a reason she isn’t coming out. She could be frightened, or she might not even know about the other dragons if her isolation is anything like Shin-ah’s was. There’s also what Zeno said about Orenjiryuus being very shy by nature. It’s nobody’s fault at all, so don’t worry, okay?” She gave Kija’s hand a squeeze and beamed up at Jae-ha, eyes alive with hope. Kija’s face was now red for a different reason.

Jae-ha coughed and quickly turned his head to look back the way they’d come, “Yes, well, she can’t hide forever. Actually, on second thought she probably could in a place like this. I can barely see where I’m putting my feet. I know we’ve been looking for a village this whole time, but the way she’s moving around I don’t think she’s in her village at all. I’d say she’s somewhere out… there.” He gestured vaguely to the trees. Everyone stared in the direction Jae-ha had indicated, hoping to see some form of life that wasn’t a bug or a bird or a snake. Heavens above, not another bug. It was no wonder that Orenjiryuu was too frightened to approach, Hak had pointed out, Kija’s screaming likely scared her off. Thankfully Kija had been so focused on the dragon bonds in his mind’s eye that he hadn’t noticed most of the insects that dared to come close to him, but when he _did_ notice… Well, let’s just say you knew about it.

The rumbling of Shin-ah’s stomach broke their trance. Zeno giggled, “Sounds like Seiryuu’s hungry!” Then Zeno’s own stomach growled, and he laughed again. “Zeno is hungry too!”

Shin-ah mumbled, “Hungry… Ao is hungry too.” Ao, who had begun to chew on Shin-ah’s fingers, perked up at the mentioning of her name.

“Pukyyuu!”

Now everyone was laughing, a well needed release of stress and fatigue from the morning’s expedition. “Well, I made some onigiri before we left camp this morning,” Yoon produced a bundle of cloth from his bag and held it out towards the group. “Shall we stop and have lunch?”

“Thank you, mother!”

“Who’s your mother?!”

  
**********

  
After everyone had eaten and had a chance to sit down and relax their aching legs, Yoon called the group to attention. “Alright, so our course of action so far has been a complete failure. If what Jae-ha suggested earlier is true, then trying to find the village now is pointless. That means Orenjiryuu is somewhere in this forest, and we have no idea how to get her to come to us. Speaking of Orenjiryuu, has she moved at all in the time we’ve been here?”

Kija shook his head. “Not really. She seems to have settled in one place for now. I guess she sensed we weren’t looking for her anymore and decided to stop.”

Yoon folded his arms and frowned. “Now that you say she’s stopped moving I’m doubting myself. What if she stopped because she returned to her village? If that’s where she is then we may have to find it after all.”

“But if she senses you four coming she can just take off again, can’t she? From what Droopy Eyes and White Snake have described it doesn’t seem like her movement is restricted in any way, so she can lead us in circles again if she wants to.” Hak was sitting on a large tree root a little away from the others, seemingly carefree but always watching. “We could always send Droopy Eyes to look for her, he can hide his presence, right? We all stay here and make her think we haven’t moved, and she’ll never see him coming. Problem solved.”

Jae-ha was about to respond, but Yona cut in before he could speak, “Your point does make sense, Hak, but I don’t want to send Jae-ha off on his own in a place like this. It’s too dangerous, goodness knows what’s lurking out there that we don’t know about. I’d rather he stayed here with us.”  
  
Jae-ha flashed a grin across the clearing at Hak. “Well, Yona dear has spoken, and who am I to argue with what she wants? Looks like you’re stuck with me, Hak darling.”

“Shut up, Droopy Eyes.” A rock went flying toward Jae-ha’s face, but Yoon stuck a hand out and caught it.

“Shut up the pair of you. Unless you’ve got any _helpful_ suggestions, I don’t want to hear it.”

More ideas were thrown back and forth between them, but they couldn’t come up with anything that would work. You can’t catch air, and that’s exactly what it felt like they were trying to do. If not air, then some sort of forest spirit. Here one minute and gone the next. How do you catch something you can’t see? They didn’t even have a way of stopping Orenjiryuu from moving around, and that was the main problem. The beams of light were starting to get shorter, meaning if they didn’t do something soon they would lose what seemingly small chance they had of finding her that day. She wasn’t an animal, they couldn’t lure her out with food (but it worked with Zeno, Jae-ha argued, only to receive a light smack on the shoulder from Yona) and the three who weren’t dragons couldn’t go and look on their own, as they’d have no idea where to go. They brainstormed for a while longer, until Yona noticed that Shin-ah wasn’t paying attention to the conversation anymore. In fact, he was looking in a totally different direction.

“Shin-ah, is something wrong?” All eyes turned to him.

“Speak up, Seiryuu!” Zeno chimed, still smiling.

Shin-ah was quiet for a moment. Then finally, without turning to look at them, he whispered one word.  
  
“… Orenjiryuu.”

Suddenly there was a loud rustling noise from the place that Shin-ah had been watching, as if a bird had been startled from its hiding place. There was a flash of orange, a hesitant glance towards them, and then she was gone. Hak was about to get to his feet, but Jae-ha was already across the clearing and had disappeared into the maze of deep green before them, heading in the same direction that Orenjiryuu had gone.

“Jae-ha! Wait!” Yona called after him, but her words didn’t reach him.

They were all on their feet now, ready to run if they needed to. Hak moved to stand beside Yona. “Don’t worry about him, Princess. Droopy Eyes is the best shot we have at catching her, he’s the fastest one here. He’ll definitely do it.”

Yona tilted her head up to look at him. “How can you be certain? She seems very fast herself.”

“True, but he’s got the ultimate form of motivation to keep him going.”

“What do you mean?”

Hak smirked.

“He knows I’ll give him hell if he fails.”


	2. The Forest Dragon, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orenjiryuu has finally been found, and an unexpected communication barrier has been revealed.

Jae-ha could not help but admit how incredibly ironic the current situation was.  
  
After he had escaped his village he had spent his time running _away_ from anything remotely dragon related, whether it be his supposed duty to his king or his dragon siblings. Hell, he had avoided his brothers even when they were in the same town as him. He hated being chased - that was no fun at all – and yet despite being the one currently doing the chasing, this wasn’t the type of chasing he enjoyed. Especially when it involved trying to avoid every natural trap the forest could throw at him: thorn-covered vines clawed at the skin on his face and embedded themselves in his coat, roots rose from the forest floor like long, gnarled fingers trying to drag him down, trunks of fallen trees acted as barricades. The only light he had to guide him was the occasional beam from above. It felt like the forest itself was one huge creature and was fighting desperately to keep him away from what it considered one of its own. For once in his life Jae-ha wasn’t feeling particularly graceful. This was nothing like flying, and yet the orange figure a short distance in front of him who he recognised as his sister seemed to be doing just that. The terrain did not faze her. Every step was certain, every jump or crouch seemed to come as naturally as breathing. _She knows the land and I don’t,_ Jae-ha thought, _All I can do now is try not to lose sight of her._

_We could always send Droopy Eyes to look for her._

Hak’s suggestion wasn’t a bad one. In fact, Jae-ha was somewhat honoured to be the one who Hak thought to be the best choice. Praise from the raven-haired male was rare, and even when it was genuine it sounded a little roundabout, but Jae-ha would take what he could get. After the indirect compliment from earlier Jae-ha wanted to see if he could coax another out of Hak. Now, _that_ would be a rarity indeed, plus he would rather avoid the raijuu’s fists for a while. He’d take another skewed compliment any day. This new plan gave him a boost of motivation, and he grinned to himself despite his stinging cheeks from running through curtains of thorny green vines.  
The ground was becoming easier to traverse now, and he felt surer of his steps than he had before. He could even see evidence of a path winding in front of him. Orenjiryuu was still a bit in front of him, but he was gaining speed now that he could see where he was going. Suddenly she seemed to vanish into the shrubbery, but on closer inspection Jae-ha saw that she had in fact passed through a hole in an upcoming tangle of branches from a felled tree. When he stepped through the gap he had to throw his arms up to shield his eyes from the sudden assault of light from the outside. He was still in the forest, but the clearing he had entered was much larger than the one he had left the others in. This time however, he could see the sky.  
  
The sun had sunk lower – it was early evening by this point – and above him the sky was streaked blue, pink, and orange. _What a relief, I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever see the sky again._ Unfortunately, his train of thought was abruptly cut short when he caught the glint of metal out of the corner of his eye. He jumped back a few feet, something cold brushing his left cheek, and then the stinging sensation of having been sliced across the face. He tasted the blood that ran down his face to the corner of his mouth. “My my, that’s no way to greet your brother now, is it?” He looked up, facing the figure that stood in front of him. “Orenjiryuu.”

                                                                              **********  
  
The young woman stood with one of her _two_ swords, Jae-ha noted, still in the air where his own head had been only moments prior. Any slower and he’d definitely have been in trouble. She now lowered it slightly, pointing directly at his chest. She was a pretty thing, from what he could see past the dirt that covered her face. Her bright orange hair was tied back in a high ponytail and fell in a thick wave down her back, held in place by a white ribbon. _An odd choice of colour for living in the wild,_ Jae-ha pondered. The rest of her attire was made up of a (what he assumed was supposed to be) peach tunic with a belt around the waist for her swords, brown trousers, and a pair of worn looking hunting boots. The ends of her sleeves and trousers were tied with material to prevent them from flapping about. Her eyes were golden, but the orange from the sky above them made them look amber, and they were wide with what Jae-ha could only describe as fear.  
  
He raised his hands slowly, hoping she would see he had no intention of harming her. It’s not beautiful at all if your own sister is frightened of you. “It’s alright, Orenjiryuu dear, I’m not going to hurt you. I just wanted to talk to you. There’s a young lady who would very much like to meet you, along with a few others, and I took it upon myself to bring you to them. You’ve been, ah, how do I say this nicely? You’ve been rather… evasive this afternoon. Do you really not want to meet my friends?” He took a step towards her, hands still raised, but she took a step back, eyes still fearful and sword still aimed at him. Her other hand now rested on the hilt of her other sword. _Not a good sign._ Jae-ha tried again. “Orenjiryuu isn’t your name, is it, my dear? Would you mind telling me your name? You can relax, I promise I’m not going to do anything. I’ll stay right on this spot if it helps. Just please put your sword down, I assure you that you won’t need it.”

Orenjiryuu was watching him very carefully, searching his face for any sign of lies, the rest of him for any surprise weapons. In one last attempt to calm her, he gave her the warmest smile he could muster. He wasn’t sure if it was the blood bond they shared, or his natural want to make women feel comfortable and safe, but seeing her stressed upset him slightly. Finally, Orenjiryuu lowered her sword, but did not yet return it to its sheath. Her other hand dropped to her side also. She didn’t seem frightened anymore, either, but she was clearly wary of him. Still, it was an improvement from attempting to decapitate him.  
  
Jae-ha now slowly lowered his own hands. “There we are. I won’t move from here like I said, so don’t worry. Again, I ask, what is your name?” She stared at him for a moment, and then made some quick movements with her hands. Jae-ha blinked. Did he miss something? “Erm, I’m sorry, could you tell me again, please? With words this time, if you don’t mind.” How did the legend go again? Orenjiryuu supposedly had the dragon’s voice. When Jae-ha had thought about what the dragon’s voice sounded like when he was younger, he had imagined it being somewhat low and gravelly. He wouldn’t blame her for being embarrassed by it – he wasn’t so fond of his own power in a way – but he really did want to know his sister’s name. However, his childhood imaginings were never confirmed, because Orenjiryuu just violently shook her head. Some of the earlier fear had returned to her face, along with panic. Jae-ha himself was also panicking slightly. Had he upset her? That was the last thing he wanted to do here, especially if he was going to bring her back to Yona and the others. He would have to change tactics.  
  
“Alright… If you aren’t going to talk, shall I ask you some questions? You can nod for ‘yes’ and shake your head for ‘no’. Would you be happier with that?” This time his sister nodded, returned her sword to its sheath at her side, and turned her attention back to him. Jae-ha smiled. “Okay, first question. Is your village here in this forest?” Orenjiryuu nodded. “Second question, have you always lived here?” She nodded again.  
“So you’ve never had to move location for whatever reason?”  
This time she shook her head.  
“Are you familiar with the story of King Hiryuu?”  
Nod.  
“Do you use your power freely?”  
Shake.  
“Is your power the reason you don’t talk?”  
Nod.  
_Interesting,_ Jae-ha thought, _I wonder if her situation is anything like Shin-ah’s?_ The longer he spent asking her questions, the more he noticed her relax. He liked her aura, it was warm and soothing. A little like Zeno’s, but where his was like the summer sun, his sister’s was more like candlelight. Gentle, comforting, less intense. Suddenly he realised it was growing late, and he had also noticed the other three’s presences starting to come closer. Time for his final question. “Do you know who I am?”  
  
She tilted her head slightly as if she didn’t understand the question. Jae-ha was about to sigh – hadn’t she said earlier she knew the legend? - but then she smiled slightly and nodded, pointing to the grass at their feet. At first, he didn’t understand what she was trying to say. _Grass? What on earth does she… Oh._ Grass is green. He’s the green dragon. He laughed gently and nodded, “Yes, I’m Ryokuryuu. Ah, but my actual name is Jae-ha. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, dear sister of mine.” He winked, and her smile widened a little more.  
  
Jae-ha turned now to look around the clearing. The gap through which he had passed through earlier was in front of him, just behind his sister. There was just one problem – he had no idea how to get back to the rest of the group. While he could see their auras clearly in his head, that would never be enough to guide himself back safely. It would be darker in there now than it had been when he first arrived, and he had struggled enough the first time around. He sighed and looked up at the sky. It now looked like it was on fire, orange and red tones stretched as far as he could see. “How am I supposed to navigate through this maze?” he wondered aloud. Something warm gripped his hand, and he looked down to see that Orenjiryuu had taken his hand in hers. When Jae-ha raised an eyebrow in question, she responded by pointing first at him, then herself, and finally to the gap in the branches. “Are you going to take me to the others?” he inquired, and Orenjiryuu nodded. Jae-ha chuckled, “Alright then, lead the way.”

  
**********

  
“He’s been gone for a long time, do you think he’s alright?” Yona asked, for the third time in space of around twenty minutes. The remaining six had stayed put in the clearing Jae-ha had left them in, but now that the light was beginning to fade and he had yet to return, they had decided to go look for him.  
  
“Ryokuryuu is fine, Miss! He seems relaxed, and Orenjiryuu has settled down as well. No need to worry.” Zeno was walking alongside Yona, and had now taken her hand gently and started to swing their joined hands while they walked. “Ryokuryuu is a very careful person, he would never do anything rash unless he felt it was really necessary.”  
  
Yona sighed and looked at the floor, carefully stepping over a tree root almost hidden in the undergrowth. “I know he’s careful, but I don’t like not knowing where you all are. I wish I could sense your presences like you can all sense each other, it would make me feel much better.”  
  
“Hey Yoon, if Droopy Eyes doesn’t make it back before dinner, can I have his share? It would be a shame to let your amazing cooking go to waste.” Hak was at the front of the group, and was currently holding back a thick wall of vines so the others could pass through.  
  
“I know my cooking is amazing,” Yoon replied, “But no you can’t have it all. The portion would be shared out amongst everyone, and that would have to do you.” Hak pondered on this for a moment and then nodded to himself, the thought of a few extra pieces of meat pleasing him.  
  
“Hak, really, your eyes are larger than your stomach. And stop talking as if Jae-ha has died!” Kija now turned to face the taller man, his face twisted with disgust. They had stopped beside a small river, the glittering water tumbling amongst roots and under fallen logs. Yona, Shin-ah, and Zeno had crouched beside it and immersed their hands into the welcome coolness of the water. It felt good, especially after a humid afternoon in the depths of a forest. Kija continued, “He’ll definitely come back safely! In fact, I think he’s already here. Oh, and it would seem Orenjiryuu is with him.”  
  
Yona looked up and down the stream. “Where are they? I can’t see them.” Shin-ah then patted her shoulder and pointed to their right. Just as Yona looked round, Jae-ha emerged from behind a hedge on the opposite side of the river, and a few seconds later he was followed by a young woman with bright orange hair. Orenjiryuu.

Yona stood up and called to him, waving her arms to catch his attention, “Jae-ha! Over here!” Zeno joined in too, and Jae-ha caught sight of them easily. They were very difficult to miss, really. Jae-ha led Orenjiryuu to a spot in the river that was easier to cross and stepped over it, then reached a hand back to her to help her jump. She accepted, and soon they were both on the same side of the river as the others. Yona hurried to meet him, closely followed by Yoon, Shin-ah and Zeno, with Kija and Hak bringing up the rear.  
  
“You look like you’ve been fighting with your surroundings, Droopy Eyes. What on earth happened to your _face?_ ” Hak feigned shock, and Jae-ha responded by letting out a short laugh and flicking his ponytail over his shoulder. Jae-ha was fully aware of his current state: his face was scratched up - a combination of the aftermath of thorns and Orenjiryuu’s blade - and his coat was torn and dirty. His hands were tingling from brushing against a strange plant earlier on. He’d have to get Yoon to look at that.  
  
“Never mind about my face, Hak dear. As lovely as it is, the true beauty of the moment is standing by the river.” Jae-ha gestured behind him, where Orenjiryuu was lingering by the water, nervously kicking a rock around with her foot. “Well, are you happy? Can you see now that she is quite real?” The questions were directed at Hak, who just shrugged.  
  
“I guess you did good, but you lose points for taking so long.” _There’s the backhanded compliment he was looking for._ Jae-ha smirked.  
  
“It was a delicate process.”  
  
Yoon had now started to fuss over Jae-ha, his usual motherly ranting consisting of ‘Were you even watching where you were going?!’ and ‘I swear, you beasts are all so reckless! Don’t just take off!’ Yona however, had turned her attention to Orenjiryuu, who was still standing awkwardly by the river.  
  
Yona approached slowly, a warm smile spread across her face, “Hello, my name is Yona. Can you tell me yours? It’s nice to finally meet you, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to after today.” If Orenjiryuu was going to respond she didn’t get the chance, because after a few seconds of staring her eyes went wide and a hand flew to her throat. “Orenjiryuu? Orenjiryuu are you alright?” The sunset haired dragon sunk to her knees, a hand still resting on her throat. She hadn’t made a single sound aside from a small gasp.

_  
“Warriors of the seven dragons! From now on, you are our other halves.  
With Hiryuu as your master, protect, cherish, and never betray him  
For as long as you live!”  
  
  
What on earth is happening? My throat is on fire. Why does my blood feel like it’s boiling? All because I looked at that girl. _ Orenjiryuu’s mind was whirling, her whole body felt hot. It took her a moment to realise that the girl she had just met had taken her free hand in her own and was currently crouched in front of her, her brows knitted together with worry. _What did she say her name was? Oh right, Yona. Her name is Yona._ The pain had now almost completely subsided, and Orenjiryuu was finally able to look Yona in the eyes again. Orenjiryuu also noticed something else – Yona’s fiery red hair. _Hiryuu._ Was this girl the one her predecessor had talked about? Except, her predecessor had spoken of a king, not a girl. _Then why do I want to stay with her?  
_  
“Has Orenjiryuu calmed down now?” A young boy with blond hair had come up beside Yona. He couldn’t have been any older than seventeen. Orenjiryuu’s mind screamed ‘Ouryuu’, his sunny aura wrapping around her like a safety blanket. He grinned widely at her. “I’m Zeno! You’ve already met the little Miss and Ryokuryuu. Over there are the Mister, Hakuryuu, Seiryuu, and the Lad!”  
  
“Zeno, I think she’d rather hear our actual names.” The one Zeno had called ‘Lad’ sighed, “I’m Yoon, the genius pretty boy. And the others are Hak, Kija, and Shin-ah,” He gestured to each in turn. “Oh, and the squirrel is Ao.” Shin-ah offered Orenjiryuu the small squirrel, and Ao ran up her arm and settled on her shoulder.  
  
Jae-ha piped up from the back of the group, “Ah right, I forgot to say. She doesn’t seem to be able to talk. I had to play a sort of yes or no game with her earlier to ask her about herself. A shame, really. I’d really love to hear her speak.”  
  
“Maybe she didn’t want to talk to you because you chased her through the forest and frightened her,” Hak said, leaning on his glaive. He was watching the female dragon with a nonchalant expression. Orenjiryuu’s gaze however was more focused on the huge weapon.  
_Probably a clever idea not to anger that one,_ Orenjiryuu thought to herself.  
  
Kija had moved up to stand near the three who were still on the ground, his eyes looking a little teary. “That is terrible! Sister, please do not be frightened. Jae-ha can be forward and odd sometimes so don’t pay him any mind. You can speak when you feel like you’re ready.” Jae-ha tried to jump in and defend himself, but then decided it wasn’t worth it and sighed instead.  
  
“Anyway, as I was saying,” Jae-ha continued, now fiddling with the end of his ponytail, “She can’t physically talk, but when I asked her for her name she made some quick gestures with her hands and fingers. I’m assuming it’s a form of signing, but I have no idea how to read it.”  
  
Zeno had perked up at the mentioning of signing. “Ohhh, you mean like this?” The blond turned to Orenjiryuu and signed something brief to her, and her eyes lit up with recognition. She signed quickly in return.  
  
Yona gasped, “Zeno! You know how to read sign?”  
  
“Yep! An Orenjiryuu from a long time ago taught Zeno how to read it as well as use it. It’s been a while since Zeno has had to use it, so it’s kind of rusty.”  
  
“Well then, you can tell us her name, right? What is your name, Orenjiryuu?” Kija looked at her expectantly, as did everyone else. Orenjiryuu smiled slightly and made the same movements that she had when Jae-ha had asked.  
  
“A very pretty name!” Zeno chirped, “Orenjiryuu’s name is Kazumi!”

  
  
Some of the group nodded at the revelation, while others repeated it out loud and smiled at Kazumi. Yona was one who smiled. “Kazumi, that _is_ a pretty name. Well, I came all this way to see you, so I’ll ask you now – would you like to join me on my journey? You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I’ve asked the other four if I could borrow their powers for a little while. Would you mind lending me yours, too?” Kazumi studied Yona’s face for a moment, and could find nothing but kindness in her features.  
  
_There’s nothing here for me anymore, really, I know everything about this place,_ Kazumi thought, _I’ve heard stories of the land beyond this forest and would really like to see if any of it is true. If I have these people by my side, I think it’ll be quite a fun experience. What have I got to lose?  
_  
“Kazumi?” Yona was looking at her with a patient curiosity. This decision was a very easy one.  
  
_“Yes,”_ she signed, _“I would love to come with you.”_  
  
Zeno relayed the message to the others, and they all grinned from ear to ear. Their afternoon endeavour hadn’t been in vain, after all.  
“Welcome, Kazumi! If you have any questions about the dragon warriors or anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask me!” Kija’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and Kazumi couldn’t help but laugh a little. Shin-ah approached her to take Ao back and gave a small bow before shuffling over to Yoon, who was unpacking different utensils from his bag.  
  
“Okay! Now that we’ve found Kazumi, it’s time to start on dinner.” He turned to Kazumi. “Is this place safe to camp in at night?” When Kazumi nodded, he started giving out orders. “Kija and Zeno are in charge of firewood. Hak, Yona, and Shin-ah can start pitching tents. Jae-ha, you’re on hunting duty, and it would probably be a good idea to take Kazumi with you, given that she knows the geography of the area.”

Jae-ha nodded and turned to Kazumi. “Looks like we’re not done wandering through the undergrowth today, hm? I’ll trust you as my guide again.” Jae-ha smiled gently at her and motioned for her to follow him. When she didn’t come immediately he stopped. “Is something wrong, Kazumi dear?” Kazumi shifted from side to side on her feet, and then signed at him.  
  
“Orenjiryuu says that she’s sorry for hurting you earlier.” Zeno had been watching them and had stepped in to act as Kazumi’s voice. “She also says that it was unnecessary and she just panicked. She didn’t want to hurt Ryokuryuu, really.” Kazumi gave Zeno a nod of thanks, and he disappeared to help Kija with the firewood.  
  
Jae-ha chuckled and moved towards her. “It’s alright, I don’t blame you at all. I don’t like being chased either, in any shape or form. It wasn’t really the best approach on my part. At least I know you can defend yourself if you need to.” He reached out and ruffled Kazumi’s fringe. “You’ll have to show me how you fight with two swords. Shin-ah uses one, but I’ve always especially admired those who can use two at once.” Kazumi was slightly shocked from the sudden contact, but after Jae-ha lowered his hand she beamed at him. A true smile.  
  
Jae-ha laughed, “We’d better go, or mother will retract our dinner privileges. Mother is Yoon, by the way, but you didn’t hear that from me.” With a wink, he wandered to the edge of the clearing, standing to the side so that Kazumi could go first. “Ladies first.”  
Kazumi wasn’t quite sure what to make of the mother remark, but she reckoned she’d find out soon enough. _This is going to be very interesting,_ she thought, as she and one of her new-found brothers disappeared into the maze of green once more.


	3. An Orenjiryuu's Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kazumi bonds with the group by teaching them sign, and also makes her own observations about her new family.
> 
> **The signing mentioned in this chapter and from here on out is taken from British sign language**

The morning after Kazumi had agreed to join Yona she took the group to her village, which was located at what could have easily been named the heart of the forest. The entrance was marked by two thick trees on either side of a well-trodden dirt path, and they had small orange flowers growing at their base. The village itself wasn’t huge, with fifteen houses constructed from wood, vines, mud and very large leaves dotted around the clearing. The same orange flowers that grew at the entrance decorated the roofs and doors. Shin-ah commented that the river they had camped at was located at the back of the village down a slope, running wider and further into the forest. The most interesting part of the village however was the trees that surrounded it. They towered over the inhabitants below like their own natural guardians, and the trunks bent over two thirds of the way up to create a lush dome. A large circular gap was left where the branches didn’t touch, allowing for a clear view of the sky.

Their arrival was noticed straight away.

Being used to the coming and going of only one person at a time, the residents all wore expressions of absolute shock when seven extra people came wandering into the village. Kazumi gestured for the group to wait where they were before jogging to meet an older woman who had appeared at the front of the curious cluster of people. She was speaking too quietly at first for them to hear her, but the longer she stood there the louder her voice became.

“… couldn’t be right, Kazumi. That small girl is Hiryuu? Hiryuu was a man, a warrior. That one looks like she could be destroyed in the blink of an eye. Are you sure you aren’t just sick? You mentioned a burning sensation in your throat.” Kazumi just shook her head and signed furiously in return. The other woman still wasn’t convinced, her eyebrows raised with suspicion and disbelief. _Why must she always treat me like I’m stupid?_ Kazumi thought, her frustration growing every second she stood there. _Why always in front of the whole village? I_ know _what I felt._ _I-_

“Excuse me” came a voice from Kazumi’s left, making her jump. She turned to see Yona standing next to her, gazing up steadily at the older woman. Hanging a few steps back was Hak, always Yona’s shadow, holding his glaive in a way that made it obvious he had it. Her brothers and Yoon stood with him.

“We’re sorry if we’re intruding,” Yona continued, “but Kazumi insisted on coming back to make her decision clear to you. We’d be happy to have her join us.”

“As happy as you might be, and as much as I wouldn’t mind sending her with you, Kazumi is still a part of this village. Therefore, I cannot allow her to wander off with a group of suspicious looking strangers. As the elder of this village it is my duty to keep every resident safe…” she glanced quickly at Kazumi, “No matter who or what they are.”

Kazumi frowned and looked down at Yona. The younger girl didn’t appear to be fazed by the elder’s stubbornness at all; she was completely composed, a small smile of understanding painted on her face. Kazumi didn’t understand how she was doing it - had it been herself who the elder was speaking badly of, she would have had _several_ things to say. This was how Nari always was and always had been for the entire time Kazumi had known her.

The villagers’ feelings towards their dragon warrior were split two ways – blatant dislike or uninhibited kindness. Realistically the village wasn’t that big and there weren’t an enormous number of people, but it only takes the words of a single person to make or break another. It was a confusing life for a child; you could be called both a monster and an angel in the same day and be left wondering what was really the truth. Because of this turbulent childhood, the Orenjiryuus either grew up gentle or grew up cruel, and there was no middle ground. Their predecessors also played a role in this. Thankfully Kazumi’s predecessor had been very sweet to her. She taught her to have faith that Hiryuu would return someday, and told her stories about what life was like beyond the forest. Kazumi had come to believe they were just tales spun to rest her inquisitive mind, but now she had the chance to find out if her predecessor’s words were ones of truth, and she _would_ find out the truth.

Kazumi missed her predecessor dearly.

Amongst the black and white opinions of the villagers the elder was supposed to be a neutral shade of grey, but Kazumi couldn’t help but feel like her shades were closer to the darker end of the spectrum. Right from when she was a child she had been treated with a cold indifference despite never having done anything to her. When she was seven her predecessor had reassured her that Nari was just trying to be firm to stop anything bad from happening to her. _Yeah right._ Kazumi never quite believed that. Fourteen years passed and the elder’s rule had gone unchallenged. Until now, by a young girl with fiery red hair.

Violet eyes were locked on pale brown ones. “Hmph, well if you’re so insistent on taking our dragon from us you could at least tell me your name. I’m Nari. I’ve been elder of this village for three generations of Orenjiryuu, although it feels much longer.”

Kazumi felt her entire body stiffen, but Yona remained collected. “My name is Yona, and I’m not insisting on anything at all. The decision was Kazumi’s and Kazumi’s alone. I wouldn’t force her to do anything she didn’t want to do.” Yona looked up at Kazumi and smiled, “I’m really looking forward to having her around!” Kazumi felt her face flush a little, but she smiled in appreciation back at Yona.

Nari’s eyes were flicking back and forth between the two girls. “Yona… Hmm.” She said the name slowly, as if testing how it rolled off her tongue. Yona hadn’t felt so under scrutiny since she had first met Captain Gigan. The older woman’s eyes seemed to see straight through her as if she were made of glass. Finally, Nari spoke again, “Yona, remove your hood for me, please. I can’t see your face properly with it up.” Her tone suggested she had something on her mind, but Yona wasn’t about to cause a scene unnecessarily, so she pulled back her hood.

Curls of vibrant red fell about her shoulders, a few shorter strands sticking up after being under her hood for so long. The other villagers gasped and whispered behind Nari, the first noises they had made since she had started speaking. Nari herself didn’t look fazed at all. She looked at Yona, then turned her attention to the other dragons who were still hanging back with Hak and Yoon, meeting each of their gazes in turn. Finally, she nodded, confirming something in her own mind that she did not say aloud. “Well, that explains that,” was the only explanation she offered. Then she turned her back to the girls and began walking towards the village. With a dismissive wave of her hand she called back, “Kazumi, go where you wish. Do what you want. Just don’t get yourself killed.” A trickle of people followed without looking back. Some frowned at Kazumi before walking away, others offered smiles of encouragement and a wave goodbye.

 _I will really not miss this place_ , Kazumi thought.  
  
This would be the last time Kazumi would set foot in her village ever again.  
 

**********

  
It had been two days since the group had left Orenjiryuu village. Kazumi had guided them back out of the forest without any problems, and they were now going north and heading into Fire tribe territory – the direction that would hopefully lead them to Murasakiryuu and Koniroryuu. Kija in particular was rather excited about the way they were heading, as it appeared to be that their destination was close to his own village. “I had always felt that our sisters were very close by, but not this close! I can’t believe Granny never made any attempt to contact them…” Kija’s eager rambling only increased the closer they got to the base of the mountains, and eventually Yoon had to ask him to stop because he was “Being too noisy” and “Would attract too much attention to them”.

Meanwhile, Kazumi felt like she was in a dream. Her predecessor hadn’t been lying at all, in fact Kazumi felt she hadn’t done Kouka’s landscapes enough justice. For her entire life, all she had known was green and brown and orange. Now she was seeing all sorts of colours: rich purples, golden yellows, azure blues, deep pinks. So many new plants she had never seen! She could stand on hilltops and look down on towns with people flitting around like ants, or she could lay on the ground at night and see that the sky extended well beyond the circle she was used to, thousands of stars winking at her from above. _Yes, this is where I’m supposed to be. This is where I belong._

Kazumi’s mind drifted pleasantly as she observed the people she had quickly grown attached to from her spot in the camp. She now understood what Jae-ha’s comment about Yoon being their ‘mother’ actually meant; he might be the youngest amongst this exotic looking group, but he had a lot of influence over the others (possibly because of food related threats) and he cared a lot about all of them despite his chiding. Hak was very stoic and didn’t say much, and when he did it was usually a sarcastic remark or an insult directed at Kija or Jae-ha. He was also fiercely protective of Yona and rarely left her side. _Can’t say I blame him after what happened to her that night._ Yona herself was a very kind and gentle person who was always smiling, always checking up on Kazumi to make sure she was happy and comfortable. Kazumi discovered that she may also have underestimated the pull of the dragon’s blood. Despite having just met Yona, she felt restless when she was separated from her for even the shortest space of time. Yona made her feel _safe_ , and Kazumi had never associated being safe with a person before. Familiar surroundings were safe. Her spot in her favourite tree was safe. But a person? This was completely foreign and she was going to take a while to adjust to it.

Her brothers were another story entirely. Linked by blood they may be, but similar they were not. Kija’s loyalty to Yona was second only to Hak, and Kazumi saw a recklessness in him that worried her slightly. He was unintentionally goofy and energetic and always ready to help. Shin-ah was so quiet Kazumi forgot he was there a lot, but she supposed she was probably the same for everyone else. He was a fantastic stargazing companion and would softly tell her about tiny details he could see in the sky with his eyes. Ao also brought her acorns, and since Kazumi didn’t have the heart to get rid of them she now had a small collection of them in her pocket. Jae-ha was a completely different person again. He seemed to spend a vast amount of time teasing Hak about something that she wasn’t yet privy to, but she guessed it was something to do with Yona. He was perceptive and appreciated the finer things in life. He also apparently had an ‘alarmingly high’ tolerance to liquor, as Kija had put it, but she had yet to see this. Kazumi still felt guilty about almost impaling him on their first encounter, but Jae-ha seemed to have forgotten about it already. Finally, there was Zeno. Kazumi had assumed he was the youngest of the dragons, but after a heavy one to one conversation with the blond she learned that that wasn’t the case at all. She guessed by the others’ faces when it was brought up that the discovery hadn’t been under the best circumstances, and when she asked him what happened Zeno simply patted her head and told her that that story would be saved for another time. Most of the time Zeno seemed to act either like a child or an old man, the old man act saved mostly for when he didn’t want to do a chore. Kazumi smiled at the image in her head. 

It was a warm night, so all of the boys except Yoon had decided to sleep outside so the tent didn’t get too hot. Kazumi opted to stay outside as well. Yona and Yoon’s tent was too small for a third person, and she also didn’t feel like being on her own. She positioned her sleeping bag near to Shin-ah and Kija, and allowed the mumbles and whispers of her companions to lull her to sleep.

  
**********

  
“I think we should all try something new today,” Yoon said the next day while rearranging his bag. Everyone looked round in surprise. It was unusual for Yoon to suggest diverting from the norm, especially since he was always so careful about the group’s safety.

“Something new?” Yona inquired, tilting her head slightly. “What do you mean?”

“Has the Lad gotten bored of rabbit meat? Is there something else we should get instead? Zeno hasn’t had boar meat in a while now. Oh! Or we could catch a bear? Bear is good too…” Zeno continued to list off different animals – including wolf meat for some reason – while Shin-ah nodded more and more vigorously as the suggestions continued. Ao squeaked in agreement.

Kija stood up, a bunch of tent pegs in his human hand. “Boar does sound good as a change… Um, not that I don’t like rabbit, Yoon! Your cooking is always wonderful!” The white dragon’s face was now tinged pink with embarrassment, a self-conscious smile trying to cover up his mistake.

“For once I actually agree with White Snake,” Hak said. “There should be plenty of boars in this area, we can look- “

“Would you all stop thinking about your guts for two minutes and let me finish!” Yoon’s brows had been getting closer and closer together, and now they were basically one entity. Silence fell across the camp. When Yoon was certain he had everyone’s attention he continued, “What I was _going_ to suggest was that we all learn some sign. It’s not fair that Zeno has to be the translator all the time, and it’s probably really frustrating for Kazumi that she can’t have a conversation with anyone without needing aid.” Everyone looked at Kazumi, who really didn’t enjoy being at the centre of attention this suddenly. She could feel her face heating up and her body tense, when a gentle hand came down on her left shoulder from behind.

“I think that’s a great idea, we all have to pull our own weight as well. Communication is a two-way street after all.” Jae-ha had come back from washing dishes in the river nearby, an easy smile present as always. He carried on, “I’ve seen the captain do some signing before, and the crew had special signals for different things, but I’ve never had the chance to learn how to use it fluently. It’ll be good fun.”

The others chittered in agreement and Yoon nodded. “Alright then. Kazumi, would you mind teaching us some basics? Just whatever you think is a good place to start.” He gave her an encouraging look. When Kazumi hesitated with her response Zeno spoke up.

“Zeno will help Orenjiryuu! It’ll be much easier with two teachers, yes? It will also be more fun that way. Does Orenjiryuu agree?” Kazumi looked around at them all. Expectant and excited faces stared back at her. _How can I say no when they’re so eager? No one has been eager to speak to me this way before, not even the most pleasant of the villagers used it,_ Kazumi reminisced. She nodded, and everyone smiled. Kazumi hadn’t felt this important since her predecessor was still alive.

  
  
The entire afternoon was dedicated to learning to sign. Kazumi and Zeno sat side by side, the other six in a semi-circle in front of them. Kazumi had decided to start with the letters themselves so everyone could learn how to spell their own names. It went rather well, if Kazumi did say so herself. The members with shorter names had a much easier time remembering everything. After names were sorted they moved onto the entire alphabet. Kazumi found it strangely amusing to see everyone so focused.

“Kazumi, could you show me what F is again, please?” Yona asked. Kazumi nodded, sticking out the middle and pointer fingers on her left hand, and then doing the same with her right hand. She then placed her right fingers on top of the left ones. Yona bobbed her head in thanks and continued to work her way through the letters.

Everyone paired off to practice, one person saying a random letter and the other making the sign. Kija and Yoon were together, along with Shin-ah and Jae-ha and Hak and Yona. They worked for half hour periods before taking a short break and then continued again, occasionally switching partners. Zeno and Kazumi would move between pairs to watch how they were getting on and giving pointers where they were needed. _It’s funny,_ Kazumi thought, _the ones who I thought would be quicker in grasping it are actually a little slower._

She was referring to Yoon and Jae-ha. Despite being arguably two of the more perceptive members of the group it had taken them slightly longer to get going. However, several queries and repetitions later they were flying through it. On the other hand, Shin-ah in particular was getting really good at it. _Very good indeed,_ Kazumi noted. He had picked all the signs up after only a few tries and was the first to be able to do them all without any mistakes. Hak wasn’t far behind him.

“Seiryuu is really good at this!” Zeno chimed. He and Kazumi were now seated back in their spot in front of the others. “He’ll be the first to master it properly Zeno thinks.” Kazumi nodded, relaying her thought about Yoon and Jae-ha to him. He watched the two in question for a moment before turning back to her. “Orenjiryuu is right, but the Lad and Ryokuryuu aren’t the type to give up easily. Especially if it’s for a friend. They’ll keep going until they get it perfect, because they’re both perfectionists in their own ways.” Kazumi couldn’t agree more. Zeno hummed to himself and turned back to watch the pairs again, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Kazumi observed him while he wasn’t paying attention. The smile was warm and full of affection. It was common, Kazumi had noticed, for him to look at the others like that, but only when he wasn’t the centre of attention. Most of the time he was being silly and making everyone laugh, but he had his genuine moments too.

Meanwhile, Kija and Hak had started bickering despite not being in the same pair. From opposite sides of the half circle. So everyone could hear.

“It’s not MY fault my claws are so big! Why do you even care? You’re not even my partner!” Kija’s hands were balled into fists, his expression agitated as he turned to face Hak, who was currently smirking.

“Your form is sloppy, White Snake. Kazumi won’t understand you if you can’t do it right. I’m going to win at this rate.” Hak’s smirk had widened to a grin. Yona reached across and hit his shoulder, mumbling about not being rude.

“My form? Fingers don’t even have form! And what are you supposed to be winning exactly? This is not a competition!” It was quite clear that Hak was trying to – and succeeding at – winding Kija up, but unfortunately Kija didn’t seem to be getting that. Kazumi was ready to intervene in case Kija’s claws did something other than signing letters, when Jae-ha interjected.

“I wouldn’t get so high and mighty just yet, Hak dear. I’m surprised Kija can take you seriously at all right now, especially since your concentrating face is _adorable_.” Jae-ha was the one smirking now, the mischievous look in his eye challenging Hak to retaliate.

Hak‘s grin had changed to a look of annoyance as he switched his attention to the green-haired man. “What are you on about, Droopy Eyes?”

Jae-ha chuckled and leaned his chin on his hand, his elbow resting on his knee. He was in no rush to answer Hak’s question, instead fiddling with a small stone on the ground beside him. Finally, he looked Hak straight in the eyes, still smirking.

“You stick your tongue out when you’re concentrating really hard. Isn’t that sweet?”

The tension that had been present suddenly disappeared, for everyone had started to laugh. Everyone except Hak, who looked ready to disembowel Jae-ha where he sat. Jae-ha didn’t seem to mind at all, he just looked pleased with himself.

Zeno joined in in between laughs. “Haha! Ryokuryuu is right! Zeno noticed as well but didn’t say anything in case the Mister got embarrassed.” _Jae-ha doesn’t seem to care about that,_ Kazumi thought, giggling beside Zeno.

Jae-ha apparently wasn’t finished, for he had started talking again. “If it makes you feel any better, you’re not the only guilty party here.” His eyes had now settled on Yona, who had been laughing brightly beside Hak. All eyes were now on her, and when she realised she turned a shade of red not far off her own hair.

“Jae-ha! I don’t stick out my tongue! And why were you even watching me?” She was avoiding making eye contact with him, apparently finding a piece of ground that was much more interesting. This time Jae-ha laughed properly, throwing his head back so his bangs fell away from his eyes.

“Ah, but you do, Yona dear. And it’s hard not to watch you both when you’re so amusing. It makes these lessons even more worthwhile.” Yona stuck her tongue out at him and Jae-ha responded with a wink. She and Hak couldn’t meet each other’s eyes and in the end had to switch partners. _Ah, I think I understand what Jae-ha has been teasing them about now,_ Kazumi realised, smiling to herself. Kija seemed to be in much better form now that Hak had left him alone, so Kazumi could now relax and not have to worry wrestling her brother away from Hak any time soon.

The group practised every day, whether they were travelling or sitting in camp. They were making substantial progress, Kazumi thought, and were starting to get the hang of basic phrases and actions. Kazumi still signed things slowly for them until they were confident enough to go more quickly, as the proper thing, as Zeno had explained, went just as fast as when someone spoke normally. She was enjoying teaching them a lot. She felt it was bringing her closer to them, particularly to her brothers, and she was really happy that they were genuinely interested in what she had to say. Shin-ah in particular was approaching her more and more, asking if he could practice with her until he could keep up with her regular signing speed. Kazumi reckoned his eyes helped him a little, but he was actually a very focused person when it came to learning new things. If he was going to do it he was going to do it right. In the end Kazumi had to teach him extra bits to keep him occupied while the others caught up.

The two would sit at night after the others went to bed and go over more complicated phrases together, the only noise being the steady breathing of their sleeping companions and the nightlife surrounding them. Sometimes they would observe Yona doing her archery when they took a break until she returned to bed. One evening they were sitting in a field while they waited for Yoon to finish making dinner. The sun was starting to sink in the sky, shades of purple and pink merging with the blue. It was too early for star gazing, which was what they usually did together when they came to places like this, but Shin-ah had insisted on coming out here before dinner. After a little more practice Kazumi turned her face towards the horizon and closed her eyes, the gentle evening breeze causing her hair to waft about her face. _This is just like how the weather was when I first met Jae-ha and the others,_ she remembered. It had been a little over a week since then, yet Kazumi felt like she’d known them all her life. Suddenly a tug at her sleeve pulled her from her thoughts and she turned to see Shin-ah looking right at her. He never said a lot anyway, but she was still surprised when instead of speaking he lifted his hands and began to sign.

“ _Thank you for teaching us. I’ve had a lot of fun.”_ Shin-ah rested his hands in his lap and waited for an answer. Ao jumped from her hiding place in Shin-ah’s fur and landed on Kazumi’s knee, chirping in such a way that made Kazumi think she was also saying thank you.

Kazumi felt multiple emotions course through her; happiness, amazement, and thankfulness being just a few of them. A lump had formed in her throat, but she smiled wider than she ever had in her life and signed back at him.

“ _Thank you for giving me the chance.”_

The pair sat in a comfortable silence after that, watching the sun sink lower in the sky until Hak appeared from the trees to tell them food was ready.

Kazumi would treasure this day.   

  
**********

  
The next morning the group spent breakfast huddled in a circle around the fire while Yoon examined his map. They were about a third of the way along the base of the mountains now, and the young genius had decided it was time to focus more on their long-term objective – finding Murasakiryuu and Koniroryuu.

“Okay, I’d say we’re close enough now to start to try and pinpoint a more exact location for these two. Kija, you mentioned they’re very close by to your own village, right? So that means there should be two villages spaced out around here.” Yoon pointed to an area north east of where they currently were, “We’ll have to be careful not to miss one by accident.”

Kija nodded enthusiastically, “Right! They have always been close to Hakuryuu village, but I think they’re closer to each other than they ever were to me. Murasakiryuu seems to drift around a bit, but she always returns to where she was.”

Yona’s eyes sparkled. “We’re so close now! I wonder what they’re like?” She turned to Zeno, who was helping Shin-ah to feed Ao part of his breakfast while she was perched on his shoulder. “Zeno, do you know much about either of them?”

“Hmm, honestly it’s been a long time since Zeno has seen either one of them. But the last Murasakiryuu Zeno met was very free spirited! Unfortunately, she also liked to pick fights with people, so she got into trouble a lot.” He snickered at the memory. “As for Koniroryuus, as a rule they’re generally much more relaxed than Murasakiryuus would be. They’ve got sharp wits about them though, so if the current young lady is anything like her predecessors don’t let her appearance fool you!”

Jae-ha nodded. “They sound like an interesting pair, I’ll give them that. Koniroryuu in particular sounds like a good time. I can always appreciate a woman with a good head on her shoulders.”

“She’s your sister, Droopy Eyes, calm yourself,” Hak scoffed. “So, White Snake, what colour are the lights floating around in your head this time? We must be running out of colours by now. There’s already five of you.”

Kija’s eyebrow twitched, but if he was angry he didn’t show it. “Murasakiryuu is the violet dragon and Koniroryuu is the indigo dragon. That’ll be all three of our sisters after that. Orange, violet, indigo.”

Yoon had apparently decided on what they needed to do, as he had stood up and tucked the map securely back into his bag. “Alright then! Let’s gather everything together so we can leave as soon as possible. Then you guys can give us a direction and we can head that way. Sound good?”

Everyone nodded and mumbled in agreement. Soon they were all packed up, and after a few moments of concentration the five dragons agreed on a direction. The group moved steadily along the steep and occasionally dangerous mountain paths, getting in some signing practice as they went. After a few hours of travelling the group stopped for a break in an indent in the cliff face, already rather tired from the mountain trek. Jae-ha broke the silence first.

“Hmm, I honestly thought they might appear to be more separate the closer we got, but they don’t seem any further apart than when we started.” Jae-ha examined the ends of his ponytail and continued, “Maybe the villages are actually neighbours to each other?

Surprisingly it was Shin-ah who answered. “I think… They might be together.”

Kazumi tapped his shoulder and signed “ _Together as in one village?”_ Shin-ah nodded.

Hak watched and then tapped the butt of his glaive against a rock. “One village, huh. Is that a thing? I thought all the villages were separate for safety or something.”

“They’re usually separate, yes, but I suppose it’s a possibility.” Kija drummed the fingers of his human hand on his arm in thought.

Yona stood up and stretched. “Well, we won’t know until we get there, right? Let’s keep going.”

They continued to walk until the light was starting to fade. They had come down the other side of the mountain and were now facing another very high wall of rock. Yoon suggested they set up camp for the night, but the dragons didn’t appear to be listening.

“Did you all hear me? I said it’s getting dark and everyone is tired, so we should probably stop here.”

After another moment of low muttering and ignoring Yoon, Jae-ha turned to answer him. “As lovely as rest sounds right now, we think that our two dear sisters are… Well, inside that wall.” He gestured to the rocky mass in front of them. Everyone turned to stare at it.

“Well, it’s not _that_ late really, is it? Taking a quick look wouldn’t hurt.” Yona turned to meet Yoon’s eyes, determination burning in her own despite her obvious fatigue.

With seven pairs of expectant eyes on him, Yoon really wasn’t going to win this argument. He sighed, “Alright, fine. We’ll go see. But we’re coming straight back out if it looks dodgy.”

A chorus of ‘thank you’ came from the others, and so they began skirting the wall for a way inside to see if the two final dragons really were as close as they thought.


	4. The Canyon Dragons, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murasakiryuu and Koniroryuu are found, and Kija and Kazumi are on a roll (down a hill).

Following the edge of a huge wall of rock would usually be an easy task, but doing it when the day was dimming was a bad idea. Yoon tried to tell them that, but his suggestions fell on deaf ears – they weren’t stopping for anyone. Shin-ah was at the front of the single file line doing his best to keep everyone from losing their footing on the loose ground by pointing out dangerous areas. He might as well not have bothered. After about ten minutes of scouting, the ground suddenly dipped downwards into a steep slope, and Shin-ah had to use every bit of strength he had to avoid being shoved down it by the clumsy people behind him.

“Why did we stop? Is something wrong, Shin-ah?” This was Yona, who was currently squished between Kazumi and Kija.

Shin-ah nodded. “There’s a slope… It looks steep.”

“What’s the hold up? Has White Snake got a bug on him or something?” Hak was at the back of the line, clearing rocks away with the butt of his glaive as he went to make the return journey easier.

There was a laugh from further forward in the queue. “Don’t be silly, Hak. If an insect was lucky enough to get within two feet of our dear Kija we’d have heard him already.” Jae-ha was grinning from ear to ear, watching Kija to see how he would react. Zeno was in front of him, also laughing.

Kija scoffed and whipped his head round to face the two men. “I have NOT. There’s a slope up ahead that Shin-ah says looks rather sharp. I don’t think there’s a way round it, either.”

“We could still make it, but going in pairs would probably be safer instead of everyone going at once.” This was Yoon, also from near the back.

Yona clapped her hands and smiled brightly. “Alright, let’s do it! Should I go first with Shin-ah?”

“Absolutely not, Princess! We don’t know who or what is at the bottom. Therefore, Kazumi and I shall go first!” Kija’s eyes were alive with determination as he looked at Kazumi, who currently looked like she’d rather be doing anything but this. Kazumi was about to raise her hands to protest to the people in front, when Zeno gave her a gentle push forward past Yona so she was standing beside Kija. Kazumi looked back over her shoulder and shot Zeno a look that screamed accusations of ‘traitor’, but the blond just grinned and gave her a thumbs up. _The nerve of some people,_ Kazumi thought.

Kija however hadn’t noticed Kazumi’s dismay and had instead led his sister to the top of the slope. It looked spooky, especially now that the light had almost completely faded. The moon was visible now, along with some stars twinkling softly through gaps in the clouds. A gentle evening breeze ruffled hair and rustled leaves. “Let’s go slowly and we’ll be okay, yes? Alright, here we g-“ Kija took one step towards the drop and slid on a patch of moss, losing his footing entirely. He grabbed hold of Kazumi’s arm to try and save himself, but unfortunately it was his _right_ arm, so he ended up harshly jerking her forward and downwards along with him.

Shin-ah shot forward to try and grab one of them but missed. The last thing the group saw was two dragons rolling down the hill into the murky depths below while Kija shrieked.

Yona called down after them, but there was no reply. After a few minutes of listening Yoon groaned, “Why is it every time I say to be careful something happens? We’ve got no choice but to all go down now, and quickly.”

“Yeah, and let’s just hope that White Snake hasn’t accidentally torn Kazumi apart with those claws of his. Although, I kind of wish I’d seen his face. It was probably amazing.” Hak had positioned himself at the top of the slope and dug his glaive deep into the ground, chuckling to himself all the while. “I’ll stand here to make sure everyone gets down okay. This won’t budge, so you can use it to steady yourself. We should also probably stick with the pair thing.”

The others nodded in agreement. Jae-ha smirked and turned to Yona. “Shall I guide you down, Yona dear? I won’t let you fall, I promise. You’re perfectly safe with me.”

“Thank you, Jae-ha, but I was already paired up with Shin-ah so I’ll stick with him. Yoon will appreciate the help though, I’m sure!” Yona smiled at them both before joining Shin-ah at the top with Hak, who was scowling. Shin-ah edged slowly down until he could reach back to take Yona’s hand, and then the two disappeared into the dark together. Next was Yoon and Jae-ha, and then finally Hak and Zeno. When the last pair arrived at the bottom they found the others crowded around a rather dishevelled looking Kija and Kazumi. Neither were seriously injured, but Kazumi’s left sleeve was ripped from where Kija’s claw had grabbed her. She also had scratches on the same arm that were bleeding lightly. Kija, on the other hand, was fine apart from his dirty robes and guilty expression.

“I’m so sorry, Kazumi! I didn’t mean to pull you down too, or scratch your arm! It was a careless mistake on my part. I didn’t see the moss patch!” Kija looked like he was about to burst into tears, so Kazumi shuffled forward on her knees to be closer to him.

“ _It’s okay, I’m not badly hurt,_ ” she signed. “ _Please don’t worry about it._ ” Kazumi smiled warmly and squeezed Kija’s right hand, which caught him off guard for a second as he looked at the scrapes that same hand had brought about. But, instead of making a scene, he returned her smile and curled the fingers of his dragon hand gently around his sister’s, squeezing back as hard as he dared.

Yoon had produced some ointment and bandages from his bag and was now crouched next to Kazumi. “I know the scratches aren’t deep, but I’d rather they didn’t get infected. This is just to be cautious, okay? I’ll fix your sleeve at some point, too.” Kazumi nodded in thanks and let him clean and wrap her arm.

The others were doing their best to make out their surroundings. The path they had been following was much wider and flatter here, but it seemed to end at this spot too. There was nothing but greenery on all sides opposite the wall. The wall itself was no longer a solid one – there was an opening that looked like a typical cave entrance, and it was pitch black inside.

“Well, we can either attempt to get back up that slope, or we can go inside the cave and see what’s there.” Jae-ha moved to stand beside Hak, who was squinting at the area just above the opening. “Hak? What are you looking at?”

“There’s some sort of marking above the entrance, but I can’t make out what it is in this light.” The other male pointed to the space in question. “Hey, Shin-ah, can you tell me what’s up there? Just above the opening. I can make out some curves but not any specific details.”

The blue dragon looked up to where Hak pointed and gave an answer in a matter of seconds. “Two dragons… twisted together? It looks like a carving.”

Zeno had got up from his seat on the ground next to Kija and brushed the dirt off his clothes. “Seiryuu is right! It’s two dragons. Zeno remembers what Murasakiryuu said about the entrance now. They’re really close by!”

“Is this the same Murasakiryuu that liked to fight people?” Yona asked, looking inside the cave for closer inspection.

“Ah, no. It was a different one. The Murasakiryuu who told Zeno about the village came before the one who fought a lot,” Zeno tapped his chin with a finger. “Zeno hasn’t had the chance to see the village inside, though.”

The others found that hard to believe, but didn’t say anything about it. Zeno’s past was something that wasn’t inquired about often, and when it was Zeno often shut the conversation down quite quickly. Some things are better left unsaid.

Kija and Kazumi were now on their feet along with everyone else as they crowded around the dragon village entrance. Shin-ah could tell them that there were steps inside leading upwards, and an unlit torch on the top right just inside the cave mouth. Hak felt around until he found it, and after a lot of difficulty managed to get it to light. It was well charred from previous use; flakes of burnt wood fluttered to the floor when Hak lifted it from its hiding place. Cobwebs covered the top of the torch like a thin layer of snow.

“That looks promising,” Jae-ha commented.

“Very funny, Droopy Eyes. I didn’t try to light this for the fun of it, so let’s check this out. Stay behind me, Princess.”

Yona stood beside Hak at the entrance and looked up at him. “Wouldn’t it be better if you stayed and kept watch, Hak? Just in case.”

Hak watched her for a moment before turning back to face the blackness ahead of them. “No need, Princess. No sane person would be in this part of the mountains in general, never mind at this time of night. Besides, the last time I let you all wander around mysterious caves you got trapped inside. That won’t be happening again. Shall we go?”

Yona nodded firmly. Hak held the torch inside for a moment to look at where they were headed. The space wasn’t very wide. Two small children could go up side by side but anyone else would have to go in single file. The steps didn’t look like they had been used in a while, as they were covered in moss and small plants that had grown up through the cracks in the rock. There also didn’t appear to be any visible end to them.

“Watch your step, it’ll be slippery because of the moss.” Hak went in first and the others filed in behind him. The steps seemed to go on forever, further and further inside the entrance they seemed to have left behind long ago. Eventually Hak told them to be quiet so he could listen.

“Are those… voices?” Yoon asked. He was just behind Yona, and had been unconsciously holding onto her arm most of the way up. Kazumi had put her hand on his shoulder earlier to steady him and he had squeaked in surprise. Yona gave his hand a reassuring pat.

“Seems like it. I think I can see light up ahead, but it looks like there’s something in the way of the exit.” Hak kept moving forward, beckoning the others after him. When they reached what he believed was the way out he handed the torch to Yona and stuck his hand out. _It’s soft,_ Hak thought. _Almost like…_

“A rug.” Hak pulled it back and allowed the light to shine into the dark corridor.

  
**********

  
The door led to a very large circular room, and it was full of people; men, women and children of all ages stood around chatting and laughing. Some sat at tables with drinks and food, others stood in groups at various points around the room. Children were playing together, weaving in and out of the legs of the adults. Torches lined the walls the whole way around, giving the room a warm and homely feeling despite its size. There were also multiple other entrances and paths going to and from the room. The sky wasn’t visible above them, either, even though the ceiling was very high.

“We must be inside the canyon,” Hak observed. “And this looks like a main hall of sorts.”

Jae-ha nodded. “It’s certainly large enough for that, and we’re definitely in the right place.” He gestured with his head to his right, “Take a look above the other pathways.”

The group glanced around, and sure enough above each pathway opening was the same symbol that had been above the outside cave. Two intertwined dragons. No one seemed to have noticed they were there, too caught up in their own discussions and stories to see. While the others debated what they should do next, Shin-ah felt a tug at his coat, and looked down to see three children – a girl and two boys – looking up at him. The little girl spoke first.

“Hey, Mister, are you all travellers? How did you get in here? We didn’t see you come in the front, and that’s the only way in.” She continued when Shin-ah didn’t respond, “We stand watch, you see, and you definitely didn’t go past. You aren’t exactly hard to miss, with your crazy fur and all.” The girl looked genuinely puzzled, which Shin-ah didn’t understand given there was a door right behind them. He was about to point that out when Ao appeared from under his fur, inquisitive about her new surroundings.

“Pukkyuu!”

Ao leapt from Shin-ah’s shoulder onto the head of the closest boy, who was amazed by this new small creature. He took Ao off his head and held her gingerly in his hands, his two friends crowding round him with curious, sparkling eyes. Suddenly they went quiet and mumbled amongst themselves for a moment, occasionally glancing up at Shin-ah, before turning abruptly and making a run for it. The boy had Ao clutched against his chest, her defiant squeaks mostly lost to the louder chattering of the busy room. Fortunately, they didn’t get very far, because the child holding Ao had crashed straight into the legs of an approaching man.

“Honestly, what have I told you three about bothering visitors? Return that squirrel right now, and apologise to that man while you’re at it. Properly.” The final word was spoken more firmly, suggesting the children perhaps weren’t the best at apologies. The rest of the group had now noticed what was happening as the three were half marched by the man back to Shin-ah, with a chorus of ‘We’re sorry’ and the boy handing Ao over. Shin-ah bowed slightly in thanks and the children disappeared back into the crowd.

The man sighed and ran a hand through his thinning grey hair. “I’m sorry about those three. They don’t mean any harm really, but they can be rather… trying, sometimes.” He smiled and observed the odd-looking group in front of him, something akin to faint recognition sparking in his eyes. “My name is Do-Yun, I’m the village elder. I overheard what that girl said to your friend earlier and I must ask the same question – how exactly did you get in here? There’s only one main entrance, and no one saw you pass through it.”

Hak pointed back over his shoulder with his thumb. “There’s an entrance behind that huge rug on the wall. Our friends fell down a slope trying to find the outside of it.” Kija laughed uneasily and Kazumi shifted on her feet at the mentioning of their earlier blunder.

Do-Yun looked surprised for a moment and then laughed lightly. “I see, that’s what Tora must have meant earlier… Ah, it would seem you’ve found your way to the old entrance. No one has used that way in about fifty or sixty years after it was deemed too dangerous to use on a regular basis, but we didn’t block it up in case we needed an escape route. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

The group all looked at each other, their expressions ranging from exasperation to embarrassed acceptance. Kazumi and Kija shared a look of mutual humiliation. _Of course, it turns out like this,_ Kazumi thought. _Of course._

“Hang on, go back a minute. Who’s Tora? Should we know who that is?” Yoon had moved up to stand beside Hak, a hand gripping the strap of his bag tightly.

“Not yet, but I’d imagine you’d want to know her eventually. I would fetch her, but she already knows you’re here.” He smiled a knowing smile. “She’s likely on her way… Oh, actually, here she comes now.”

Everyone looked past Do-Yun to see a young woman striding across the length of the room towards them. She was quite tall, and very pretty. Her shin-length dark green robes swayed gently as she walked, the slits in the sides revealing black trousers. Her flat shoes, also black, clicked on the stone floor. Once she was stood in front of them, two things were immediately obvious – her icy blue eyes and her deep purple hair that fell to her waist in light waves. _Indigo._ She also had a dark green cloth headband tied around her head, covering her ears.

Do-Yun rested a hand on Tora’s shoulder before bidding them goodbye and disappearing amongst the villagers. The young woman shook her head and smirked. “That Do-Yun, he always beats me to everything. Here and then gone again, like a summer breeze.” She rested a hand over her heart. “I’m Tora, but you knew that already. And I know who all of _you_ are, too. How kind of my siblings to pay a home visit, and with some friends, too. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you all.” Tora smiled sweetly and bowed slightly in front of them, and the others bowed in return. She continued, “I would ask for your names too, but we’re missing someone and she hates being left out of introductions… Ah, this is a strange request coming from someone you’ve just met, but could you all please duck? As low as you can, if that’s alright. Within the next ten seconds.”

Hak responded with a voice laced with suspicion, “Hold on, duck? Why would we need to-“

“Here she comes! Everyone get down!” Tora shouted, cutting Hak off entirely. Everyone in the room got down, including Tora, and the others followed suit very quickly after hearing the noise above them. It was like thunder inside the canyon itself, and quickly changed into the beating of the wings of something large. _Very_ large. Suddenly a powerful gust of wind swept over the room as the thing in question shot down from the roof and glided low, just above the villagers’ heads. With another flap of its wings it soared upwards again, turned, and then landed gracefully in the middle of the room. When the group looked up, they discovered that ‘it’ was in fact a ‘she’, and she was a young woman who was shorter than Tora was. Except, unlike Tora, she had huge wings. Covered in glittering violet scales.

“Oh, yay! I was right after all, then. I thought you guys were close so I rushed back to see. You all sure don’t mess around, huh?” The young woman grinned, her fangs glinting in the torchlight. “I’m Milla, by the way. Murasakiryuu Milla. Don’t looked so shocked! I’m not gonna eat you or anything, promise.” Her wings had slowly begun to shrink in size while she laughed brightly, until they had disappeared completely. An older woman had come up beside Milla to wrap a blanket around her shoulders. The woman muttered something to her and they both laughed before separating again. Milla was a head shorter than Tora, and her poker straight violet hair fell to her shoulders. A longer front piece was pinned back with a simple turquoise hair ornament. Her attire included a pale brown shirt, darker brown, baggy trousers and boots with a low heel. A chord necklace with three blue beads glittered at her throat. Her wide, deep brown eyes and freckles made her look like an excited child.

“Must you always make such a dramatic entrance?” Tora asked, but she was smiling down at her sister while she spoke. “What if I hadn’t been here to warn everyone? You’d have frightened them half to death.”

Milla shrugged, “You can hear me no matter how far away I am, so you’d have plenty of time to get here yourself. Or alert someone. Mind you, even with your warning they look a bit pale.” She smirked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Didn’t you know Murasakiryuus have the dragon’s wings? They’re not gonna be tiny things, dragons are huge, after all!”

“Well, yes, but we weren’t exactly expecting you to be missing when we got here.” Yoon was trying to readjust his hair accessory after it had been disturbed in the sudden wind.

“Awh, don’t be mad! Here, I’ll fix it for you.” Yoon didn’t have any time to protest, for Milla was finished with his hair in a few seconds. “There! Good as new. Hey, did I miss the introductions? You didn’t ask for their names without me, did you?”

Tora shook her head. “No, no, I haven’t asked yet. I waited, don’t fret.” She turned to face the group, who were staring at the pair as if they were a strange performance act. “Let’s start again, shall we? What are your names?”

They started with Yoon and made their way round until the line got to Kazumi, who hesitated. She stared at her sisters, panic creeping its way into her features. Milla noticed, for she smiled warmly at Kazumi and shuffled closer to her sister. “It’s okay, Orenjiryuu, you can sign to me! Taji taught me how to do it in case I ever got to meet you. Oh, Taji was my predecessor, by the way. Tora’s was called Mina, but that’s another story entirely.” Kazumi nodded and signed her name for Milla, whose smile widened back into her toothy grin from earlier. “Kazumi, that’s a pretty name! Nice to meet you!” Kazumi finally relaxed her shoulders, and Jae-ha gave her right one a gentle pat. After Kazumi was Zeno, and then finally Yona.

“I’m Yona! I’m really glad to finally meet you both. Although, I am curious about one thing, how come you’re both in the same place?” Yona met Milla’s eyes and saw that the two girls had frozen where they stood. Tora’s hands were clasped over her ears, her eyes wide and staring ahead at something that wasn’t there. Milla yelped as her wings shot out from her back, alarming several nearby villagers as they nearly smacked into them.

  
_“Warriors of the seven dragons! From now on, you are our other halves._  
_With Hiryuu as your master, protect, cherish, and never betray him_  
 _For as long as you live!”_

 _  
_ The only thing the two were thinking about was their pain, which disappeared almost as quickly as it came. Milla grunted as her wings shrunk again, feeling around for the blanket that she had hastily tossed aside to stop it from being destroyed. She wrapped it round herself and stood up straight, rubbing her lower back. “Damn, that hurt. You still alive over there, Tora? Are your ears okay?”

Tora now had her eyes closed, but her hands still covered her ears. She looked like she was concentrating intently. After a moment of silence, she nodded slowly and opened her eyes again, lowering her hands as she did so. “Yes, I’m alright, although my ears are still ringing a little.” She looked across at Yona. “I guess that makes you the one we’ve been waiting on, Yona sweetheart. Oh, and you both can let go of me now. I appreciated the gesture, but I’m fine now.” Tora was talking to Kija and Shin-ah, who had hold of one of her arms each.

“Sorry!” Kija squeaked. “It’s just you looked like you were going to faint, you were rather pale…” His voice trailed off as he let go and took a few steps back. Shin-ah smoothed down the fabric of her sleeve before shuffling quickly to his original spot beside Yoon. Jae-ha, Kazumi and Zeno had hovered over Milla for a moment for the same reason, but she too was fine. Several villagers had gathered around the two dragons, fussing over them and asking repeatedly if they were still hurting, or if they needed anything at all. Milla and Tora assured them that they were okay, and the villagers reluctantly left them alone again, some glancing back once or twice.

“Are you sure you’re both alright?” Yona asked, looking between the other young women. “That looked painful, especially for you, Milla.”

Milla waved a hand nonchalantly. “Nah, I’m okay. Taji sort of told me what to expect from the blood thing, but I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting my wings to appear. I don’t remember _that_ part of the lecture.”

Tora interjected, “She did tell you, but obviously you weren’t listening to the important parts. Again.”  

“Hey! Not all of us have super special hearing, you know. I always listened to Taji! If anything, it was you who ignored Mina most of the time. She told you to be careful and yet you still felt the need to go exploring on your own!” Milla folded her arms as she faced her sister, shifting her weight onto one foot.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I was on my best behaviour at all times.” Tora’s smile had turned smug, and Milla was about to shoot back at her when Zeno started giggling from the other end of the line.

“What are you laughing at, Zeno? Did something happen?” Jae-ha raised an eyebrow at the blond, but Zeno just continued laughing before shaking his head.

“Nope, nothing happened! Zeno just thinks Murasakiryuu and Koniroryuu are very cute! They haven’t changed at all!”

“We haven’t changed? What do you mean…?” Tora started to ask but was cut short by Hak, who had raised a hand to stop her.

“That’s something we shouldn’t talk about here. He’ll explain in his own time, probably. You’ll get used to it.” Tora looked like she was ready to argue, but changed her mind and dropped the subject. Instead, she turned her attention to Yona.

“You asked about why we’re together didn’t you, sweetheart? We’ll tell you everything, but not here. I think we’ve attracted too much attention as it is, and you all must be exhausted. Oh, that reminds me. Are one of you injured? I heard screaming outside earlier and assumed someone was hurt.”

Hak chuckled and nodded at Kija. “Oh no, White Snake wasn’t hurt, but it _was_ him who screamed. I still wish I’d seen his face, though.” Kija looked ready to tear Hak apart, while Jae-ha laughed behind his hand beside him. The rest of the group just sighed.

Milla snorted beside Tora. “Well, if you say so! We’ll take you to our living quarters, it’s big enough for everyone. I need to change out of this shirt anyway. Right this way, everyone!”

Milla and Tora led them across the room to a doorway on the far left. Some people were still trying to clean up from Milla’s sudden entrance, collecting pieces of scattered pottery and piles of cloth. “It’s just up these stairs. Don’t worry, it’s very well-lit so you’ll be able to see just fine. Follow me, please.” Tora led the way, followed by Milla, and then the others just behind. The stairs spiralled higher and higher up the canyon, torches flickering as everyone walked past them. Finally, they came to a larger doorway than the one they had come through moments previously, the carving of the two interlocked dragons in its place above them. Milla and Tora stood on either side of the entrance, smiling at them.

“You’re our guests for tonight, so don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s anything you need. Make yourselves at home.”


	5. The Canyon Dragons, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of dragons and lots of feelings.

Once through the doorway, the stairway opened up into a room similar in shape to the one they had just left. This one, however, was smaller; a coloured patched rug, one half more faded than the other, was spread across the floor, and at the centre was a low table with four cushions around it. The table had pieces of parchment, ink, and some books sitting on it, evidence of someone’s work haphazardly strewn across it. Another entrance covered by a rug like the one they had filed through earlier that evening was to the far right, interlinked dragon carving in its usual place. Directly opposite the main entrance was a bookcase that – much to Yoon’s delight – was chock-full of books of varying thickness. A few were even bound in leather. On the wall that the bookcase sat against there were various shapes carved into the rock face, which on closer inspection appeared to be drawings. Some looked fairly recent, while others seemed to have been there for decades.

“They’re drawings done by previous Murasakiryuus and Koniroryuus,” Milla explained. “When the kids got bored they’d draw stuff on the walls. It must have become a tradition somewhere down the line, ‘cause some of those have been there for years. Look, there’s one of mine! Isn’t it cool?” Milla pointed at one near the bottom of the wall, - it could honestly have been anything from an animal to a rock - looking around at those closest for approval. This turned out to be Kija and Yona, who both just smiled politely and nodded. Satisfied with their response, Milla grinned her toothy grin and disappeared behind the wall rug of the other doorway.

The most intriguing part of the room, however, was not Milla’s carving, but the fact that the wall facing towards the outside was completely open. The room only had three walls. They were slightly inside the canyon, so there was a bit of a roof to shield the room from more extreme weather, but aside from that there was nothing. The view was stunning. Miles and miles of Kouka’s mountain range and green fields were visible, the moonlight casting a pale glow across the land and giving it an ethereal look. The world seemed to have stopped. The only sound was the quiet whistle of a summer breeze passing them by.

“What a breath-taking view, better than what most trees could offer for certain.” Jae-ha was standing close to the edge, the light wind wafting his bangs about his face. He turned to face Tora. “But why is it so open to the elements? Is it not rather cold?”

Tora shook her head. “Not particularly. Or perhaps we’ve just grown accustomed to it. We were both raised in this room together, so the wind has become a sort of comfort for us. It’s mostly for Milla’s benefit, though. It means she can come and go as she pleases without disrupting the village, but today was an exception. I can assure you it’s not usually like that. She’s just rather excitable.” Her tone was nonchalant, but a small smile tugged at the corners of Tora’s mouth.

Jae-ha pressed further. “Forgive me if this comes across as rude, but how _can_ she come and go as she pleases? It wouldn’t take a lot for someone to see her, especially in broad daylight. Her wings aren’t exactly difficult to notice.” The others looked at him in surprise, for Jae-ha sounded _irritated_ , a rare thing for the Ryokuryuu. Tora, however, was not fazed in the slightest, for she answered as calmly as she had before.

“You’re right about that, for sure. However, the area this place looks out over and its surroundings are uninhabited by people. No one lives here except for us, so she’s perfectly safe. She has all the freedom she could ever need.”

Jae-ha’s response consisted of a simple “I see” before turning back to look outside again. His tone was now even and his face was still, but had he not turned away his eyes would have told a different story. The atmosphere in the room felt heavy. Thankfully, Milla had reappeared from behind the rug, now sporting a dark purple top similar to the pale brown one she had on earlier. She beamed when she saw Shin-ah and Zeno crouched at the wall carvings, Zeno pointing and Shin-ah nodding at the yellow dragon’s observations. Yoon was examining the bookshelf with great detail, occasionally removing a book to get a better look at it. Kazumi and Yona were kneeling by the table, running their hands across the rug and debating how long it would have taken to sew together. Hak was leaning against the wall at the doorway with Kija, glaive resting beside him as he watched the two girls in front of him. Milla half skipped to Tora, who seemed lost in thought, and then put a hand on Yona’s shoulder to get her attention.

“You asked earlier about why our villages are joined together, yeah? We’ll tell you what we know, which probably isn’t the half of it, but a story is a story no matter how much is true.” Milla turned her head to Tora. “Can I tell it or do you want to?”

“You can, since you seem so eager.”

Milla narrowed her eyes at her sister for a moment before turning back to her audience. “Well, Taji and Mina told us that the two villages did used to be separate, and this place was originally just Murasakiryuu village. But the two dragons were supposedly close from all the way back to Hiryuu’s time, and the Koniroryuu village was always nearby to here because of it. It used to be in the land out there,” she gestured to the missing fourth wall.

Tora nodded and interjected, “The bond between Murasakiryuu and Koniroryuu never broke, and the two villages were in constant contact. So, in the end it was decided that they would form one large village inside this very canyon, as it was much safer for both parties.”

“And easier for Murasakiryuus,” Milla added, smirking.

Her sister sighed, “Yes, and easier for Murasakiryuus.”

Kija now spoke up, voicing the questions he had had burning in his mind for the last few days. “You’re also very close to Hakuryuu village, yes? My granny told me that for a long time Hakuryuu, Murasakiryuu and Koniroryuu would travel to each other’s villages and pay a visit in honour of their bond. However, somewhere down the line the tradition stopped and the villages lost contact. I was wondering if you two… knew why that happened? It frustrated me that two of my siblings were so close and yet I was unable to meet with them.” Kija looked a little hurt, his disappointment clear on his face.

“Our predecessors did mention a meeting between the three, yes,” Tora replied, “but they never said exactly why it stopped. Although, I think I do remember Mina mentioning that one generation of Murasakiryuu was rather prone to getting sick. No one knew why it happened, but I’d imagine it would have been what prevented any socialising. Hakuryuu wouldn’t have come in case it was contagious, and it would be too dangerous to have allowed Koniroryuu to go by herself. To me it sounds like they simply drifted apart due to unfortunate circumstances.”

Milla patted Kija’s arm. “Sure, not to worry! We’re together now, right? Everything worked out in the end. No point in getting stuck on ‘what ifs’ now.” She smiled warmly up at her brother, who reciprocated it despite looking a little teary.

The pleasant moment was interrupted by Hak. “Sorry to ruin this long-anticipated reunion, but Kazumi has a question.” All eyes turned to the orange dragon, who started a little at the sudden attention. Shin-ah was beside her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze for comfort. Confidence boosted a little, she signed to Milla.

“ _Where do your wings go when you’re not using them?_ ”

Milla giggled at how adorable her sister was. “Where do my wings go when I’m not using them? A great question, Kazumi. Check this out.” With that, Milla turned her back to the others and lifted the back of her top, revealing markings on her back – markings that looked exactly like her wings. She continued, “You know how Hakuryuu’s hand gets bigger and smaller at his will? It’s like that. I can make them appear when I need them and then shrink them again. The downside is that I have to change clothes a lot, ‘cause the wings tend to rip them badly. It’s kinda problematic.”

Tora laughed under her breath, “Well, that’s certainly one way to put it.” Milla whirled to face her sister, scowling, but everyone just laughed.

Yoon had finally come away from the bookcase, three good sized books in his arms. “It’s fine, I can make you more if you need them. But please try not to be reckless, there’s only so much sewing I can do. I might be a genius, but even geniuses need a break.” He eyed the rest of the group as he spoke. More laughter ensued, somewhat nervous this time.

When everyone was quiet and at peace with each other’s presences, a gentle voice articulated what they were all thinking.

“I’m glad… we’re all together.” Shin-ah had a small smile – a _genuine_ smile – on his face. Had his whole face been visible, the others would have seen that his eyes were sparkling below his mask. Kazumi returned the hand squeeze from earlier. Zeno was smiling at the ground knowingly. _Oh, how wonderful it is to be surrounded by those who love you._

Yona responded, “So am I, Shin-ah. Very much.”

Jae-ha now spoke for the first time in quite a while, his usual pleasant smile having returned to his face. “Well, I for one am extremely appreciative that we have found two more beautiful people to fight elegantly beside. We’re a perfect match, the three of us.” His smile had changed to a smirk as he watched his two sisters. Hak rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“I wouldn’t know, sadly, so I’ll have to take your word for it.” Tora turned her head in Jae-ha’s direction, her gentle smile never faltering.

Jae-ha ran one hand through his bangs and rested the other on his hip. “Well, I’m right here, so you can see that it’s true.”

At that, Milla snorted, making a few of the others jump. She was also laughing. When Jae-ha shot her a confused glance she explained, “Tora’s right. She _has_ to take your word for it. She’s blind, all Koniroryuus are. Are you saying you didn’t know that?”

The green dragon’s expression answered Milla’s question for her, for his eyes had widened with surprise and his smirk had promptly disappeared. His face also looked slightly red, but that could have been the shadow from the torchlight (it wasn’t). Everyone else’s faces also answered her question. _Oh boy,_ Milla thought, _they had absolutely no idea._ Well, almost everyone. Hak didn’t look shocked. He looked _amused,_ and was trying his best to suppress the laugh that had bubbled in his throat at the sight of his companions’ faces.

“Hak! Don’t laugh, that’s not nice!” Yona’s voice was a half whisper, her tone sharp.

“I’m not laughing, Princess. I’m just wondering how nobody knew, or at least noticed when we first met her. There have been tell-tale signs the whole time we’ve been here. Besides, White Snake is supposed to be the dragon expert around here. Are you telling me you don’t actually know _everything?_ ” Hak lifted his gaze to meet Kija’s, who looked like he was mentally ripping Hak to shreds.

“Not once did I claim to know everything! I was certain that I was well versed in the legend, however. My ancestors took great care to record everything they knew about the other dragon siblings. It must have gotten lost at some point.”

Zeno put a hand over Kija’s balled fist and lowered it gently back to his side. “Hakuryuu did nothing wrong! Lots of things get lost over time, it’s normal. Like Murasakiryuu said earlier, it doesn’t matter anymore, because we’re all here now!”

“That is very true, although I am curious now, Hak. What gave me away?” Tora looked like a child who had just been found out in a game she had been playing, her face breaking out into a smile she had been trying to hide.

“When we first met you, I noticed that when someone addressed you, you never looked them in the eyes, despite looking at their face. Also, Milla tends to repeat anything Kazumi says out loud, and that’s because you can’t see her hands, right? My suspicions were confirmed, however, when I noticed that Milla subtly guides you sometimes when the ground isn’t totally flat. I’d imagine your hearing powers help you get around smoothly, though.” Hak said it all so matter-of-factly that no one knew how to respond. Except for Tora, who laughed brightly.

“My, you’re an observant one. Very impressive. Most people don’t notice unless they’re told, as you’ve already seen.” Several embarrassed laughs and muttered apologies floated round the room, but the indigo dragon wasn’t bothered in the slightest.

Hak shrugged. “I have to be observant, I’ve got a troublesome princess to look out for.” Yona squawked in protest and smacked his arm, but Hak just stuck his tongue out at her. Yoon sighed and muttered that they were _both_ troublesome.

“I can’t believe you’ve been putting a lovely young lady under such heavy scrutiny this whole time, Hak. You can’t treat your host like that, it’s not beautiful at all.” Jae-ha folded his arms and observed the other male, waiting for his face to twist like it usually did. Hak’s face however remained stoic, looking Jae-ha straight in the eyes when he responded.

“Neither is sulking, but you had that pinned down pretty well.”

Jae-ha’s easy smile faltered for a few moments before he caught himself. “This is revenge for what I said about your concentration face, isn’t it?”

“You know it, Droopy Eyes.”

Milla was looking between the two men as they fired answers back and forth, her expression bemused. “So… Who’s the adult here?”

Six voices and one finger indicated that the role fell to Yoon, who was glowering at them each in turn. The boy folded his arms tighter around the books he was holding and closed his eyes, his brows furrowed together. “Someone has to look after you rare beasts, because you sure as hell wouldn’t survive on your own.” This was followed by a chorus of ‘thank you, mother!’ and further complaining from Yoon. Milla gave his shoulder a sympathetic pat and told him he deserved a break equivalent to however long he’d been with them.

The room had gotten rather dark, the only light being the pale glow of the moon and the gentle flickering of the two torches inside. The group’s fatigue had also caught up with them, for several of them were now yawning loudly and blinking tired eyes. Milla approached a large wooden chest that had been tucked out of sight in a corner and pulled out multiple blankets. They were similar in appearance to the rug that covered the floor.

“You’re probably all exhausted, so you can spend the night here. Share these out amongst yourselves. Oh, and Yona and Kazumi can come back here with Tora and myself to our room,” she said while gesturing towards the doorway with the rug. Spread yourselves out whatever way you like, just don’t lie too close to the edge! It’d suck if you fell, you might scare the first person who leaves the village in the morning. Goodnight!” Milla slipped behind the rug followed by Kazumi and Yona. Tora gave the others an apologetic shrug before following the other three. The boys shared confused looks before shaking their heads and arranging themselves around the room for the night.

Milla and Tora’s room was very simple, with two futons laid out side by side on the ground and two more wooden chests at the far wall. There was only one torch. More blankets and pillows were retrieved and spread out on the floor, and soon enough the four girls had made themselves a sort of nest in the middle of the room. Milla lay on her stomach beside Tora, who had folded her legs under herself when she sat down. Yona copied Tora, and Kazumi sat cross-legged. Milla sighed.

“I’m seriously amazed at how you two have stuck with those guys for so long. Do they fight like that all the time? That would drive me crazy. I’d have fought them by now, particularly Hak, Kija, and Jae-ha. They’re so… _childish._ ”

Kazumi signed, “ _I haven’t been with them for that long, really, but that seems to be how they are. They don’t mean anything by it._ ”

Milla rolled onto her back. “It looks like it’s a good thing you haven’t been with them long, Kazumi. It must be exhausting.”

“Now Milla, you can’t make a judgement based on a few hours of interaction. Everyone is also tired, and fatigue makes people silly. I should know, living with you.” Tora’s eyes sparked with mischief, but her sister just scoffed. “The right person to ask about them would be Yona.” The three dragons turned to Yona, who had been laughing to herself throughout the conversation. “Tell us, sweetheart. What are the boys like, really?”

Yona tapped her chin with a finger, thinking. “Well… It might look like they don’t get along, but Hak, Kija, and Jae-ha are actually good friends. Hak just likes to annoy them both sometimes.” She smiled and continued, “Kija is very adorable and funny, and he loves the others a lot. Jae-ha is smart and kind, despite liking to tease the others, and you always feel safe with him. Shin-ah is quiet and graceful when he uses his sword, and his hands are gentle and warm. Zeno is good at making everyone laugh and gives the best hugs. He… has been through a lot. Yoon looks after us all well. He’s the one who feeds us. He fixes our clothes when they get torn, patches up our wounds and gives us medicine when we’re ill. I’m really grateful to have him with us.” Yona’s smile widened the more she talked, the thought of her friends filling her chest with warmth.

“And Hak? What about him?” Milla pressed further. The young women were listening intently to Yona’s every word.

“Hak? Oh… We’ve known each other from when we were really young, so I guess we’re pretty close. He knows how to make me laugh, and sometimes he says and does strange things but that hasn’t happened in a while. He looks sad a lot of the time, really. He… He gave up everything he had to protect me, and I want to be able to repay him for that someday. It’s not fair if he has to run after me all the time, and I know the others are here now but that hasn’t changed anything. It’s just given me more reasons to get stronger. _They’re_ the main reason I’ve come this far. I want to stand beside them and not behind them in the future. A lot has happened…” Yona trailed off, focusing very hard on the pillows below her. Milla and Kazumi shared a concerned look. Yona wiped quickly at her face before perking up again. “Oh, that’s right! I never told you why I came to find you all. I would have told Kazumi earlier, but I wanted to tell you all together. You see…”

Yona recounted the events that had led her to the path she was currently on, about her true identity, her father, and Soo-Won. About her stay at the Wind tribe, meeting Ik-Soo the priest and Yoon after falling off a cliff while being chased by Fire tribe soldiers, and meeting the other dragon warriors. About her time as a pirate and a bandit, and everything up to present. When Yona had finished, she looked up to meet three pairs of eyes staring at her; golden ones were crying, deep brown ones were glistening dangerously, and pale blue ones were sad. Yona couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty about the sight before her. “Kazumi, please don’t cry. Everyone, it’s alright. I’m doing okay, don’t wo-“

Yona didn’t get to finish her sentence, for she had found herself in the middle of a teary dragon hug. Milla and Kazumi had wrapped their arms around her waist, and Tora’s arms circled her shoulders, her face buried in Yona’s wild curls. Tora mumbled, “I think I can speak for all three of us when I say you needn’t question our loyalty after a story like that, Yona sweetheart. Call our names when you need us, we’ll come flying to you. Literally, in Milla’s case.” This roused small laughs from the other two dragons, who both nodded in agreement. Yona patted Milla and Kazumi’s arms soothingly with both hands.

“Thank you, all of you. Let’s do our best.”

Had any of the boys decided to check up on their female companions, they’d have been greeted with the sight of something akin to a dragon’s nest.

A nest of red, orange, violet, and indigo, curled up together in tenderness and in friendship, the colours of their hair echoing the shades of the dawn that broke over the horizon.

  
**********

  
The following morning was a peaceful one. The breeze from the previous day had died down completely, leaving the air balmy. It was early enough that both the stars and the moon were still faintly visible alongside the growing illumination of the sun; the tranquil passage between the old day and the new. All was still, except for some movement at the rug covering the doorway to the girls’ room. Milla stepped out into the light of the new day, squinting as her eyes adapted to the change of scenery. She had quietly disentangled herself from her sleeping companions – which had been more difficult than she had expected, turns out Kazumi is a clingy sleeper – and had come out into the front room to go for her usual morning flight around the canyon. Her eyes having adjusted themselves, Milla looked around at the scene before her. The boys had placed themselves in such a way that gave each of them a good amount of space, yet they were still close together. _How cute, they’re just like the village children,_ Milla thought, smiling to herself. After crossing the room and doing a light jump to clear both Yoon and Zeno at once – Zeno was apparently also a clingy sleeper – she noticed that one space was empty.

“You’re an early riser too, huh? I wasn’t expecting to see any of you awake until much later, given you were all basically swaying on your feet when you got here. Guess I was wrong.” Milla kept her voice low as she approached Jae-ha, who was sitting on the ledge of the open space with his feet dangling over the edge. His face was calm, contemplative. _He really likes this ledge,_ Milla noted.

The corner of the Ryokuryuu’s mouth quirked upwards into a half smile. “Not by choice, unfortunately. Sleep left a while ago and isn’t coming back by the looks of things. Not that I mind much, with a view like this.” He leaned and tilted his head back so he was looking into Milla’s face. “I can forgive it just this once.”

Milla nodded and sat herself down beside her brother, noting how much longer his legs were compared to hers. _Damn giant._ The two sat in a comfortable silence, the only slight noise coming from those still asleep behind them. Milla broke it first.

“Tora thinks you’re annoyed with her.”

Jae-ha turned his head in surprise, a puzzled eyebrow raised. “Annoyed? Why would I be annoyed with her? I only met her yesterday, and she has been nothing but pleasant the whole time. What gave her that impression?”

Milla swung her legs, the heels of her boots hitting off the rock face below them. “She told me what happened when you asked about the missing wall. Apparently, you seemed kinda… irritated.” She shook her head, the turquoise ornament in her hair causing fragments of light to dance across the slight roof over their heads. “Tora is very sensitive to other people’s moods, always has been. She seems composed on the outside, but if someone is unhappy it’ll eat at her for ages afterwards, even if it’s nothing to do with her personally. It’s both ‘a gift and a curse’ as she puts it.”

An expression bordering on guilt had crept into Jae-ha’s features. “Ah…That wasn’t Tora’s fault in the slightest. I almost upset myself by asking questions I didn’t necessarily… want the answers to. Tora was just answering my inquiries.”

Milla shrugged her shoulders in an exaggerated manner and sighed, “Well, it’s between you two so I won’t be nosy about it. Just make sure you say something, yeah? It’ll bug her forever if it’s just swept under the carpet.” She couldn’t help but notice that her brother’s brows were knitted together, and his nose was scrunched up slightly. _Hilarious._ She stood up and brushed down her trousers. “Hey, if you keep making that face it’ll stay like that and add, like, ten years onto your face. You’re already thirty, right? You’re gonna look _really_ old if you keep that up.”

Jae-ha’s expression switched three times in the space of five seconds, from shock, to concern, to disbelief, his hands flying to his face. It changed a fourth time – this time to slight displeasure – when he looked up and saw Milla grinning at him, fangs glinting in the sunlight. _Another Hak, wonderful._

“Kidding, I know how old you are. Yona told us last night. She told us _lots_ of things, actually, about you and everyone else. You’re an interesting bunch, that’s for sure. Strange habits, though.”

“And just what habits might you be referring to?” Jae-ha now had his arms folded, but his tone was light-hearted. Amused, even.

“Can’t tell you. Number one rule of girl talk: boys aren’t allowed to know what was said. It’s a secret.” Milla winked, practically singing the last sentence. Jae-ha just gave a defeated laugh. No information is more confidential and airtight than what is discussed between women, after all. Milla continued, “Anyway, I’m going for my morning fly now, want to come? Show me what those legs are made of, Ryokuryuu.” Her tone was teasing, and Jae-ha automatically took it as a challenge. He smirked.

“Alright, alright. But don’t get left behind, I won’t wait for you.”

“Like hell I would. Get out of my room.”

With a laugh, Jae-ha launched himself off the edge of the opening, the morning air swirling around him as he soared upwards. He could hear the beating of Milla’s wings behind him, undoubtedly waiting for a chance to overtake him.

The view really _was_ stunning.

  
**********

  
Breakfast was a whirlwind of people and food. They were back in the room they had arrived in originally, but it looked different than before. Everyone ate together, it would seem, for there were multiple rows of food laid out on long blankets with enough space to comfortably fit ten adults and several small children. Milla, Tora, and the others took one of the sitting areas for themselves, multiple different conversations happening at once. Milla was at one end with Kazumi and Yona, pointing out different foods and recommending her favourites. Zeno and Shin-ah didn’t appear to be bothered by what was what and were seemingly having a competition as to who could fit the most in their mouths at once. Kija and Yoon sat opposite them, scolding them about manners and warning about stomach aches. Hak was in the middle of the chaos sharing his breakfast with Ao, who was happily munching at whatever she was handed while on his shoulder. Jae-ha and Tora were at the other end, engrossed in a serious looking conversation in between mouthfuls. Milla smiled to herself.

The villagers had been not-so-subtly watching the group while they ate; it wasn’t very often you had as strange a crowd as this show up in your village, so obviously some light observation was needed. The elder, Do-Yun, had greeted them with a smile when they came down the stairs and told them they were welcome to anything they liked. The three children who had attempted to steal Ao the previous day had awkwardly waved at Shin-ah when he sat down, and much to their delight Shin-ah returned the gesture without hesitation. A few villagers had assumed Hak was part of the legend, too, for on their way around with bread baskets they asked who he was.

“Oh, I’m the Dark Dragon,” Hak deadpanned while lifting a roll of bread for himself and tearing a piece off for Ao. The inhabitants weren’t entirely sure how to take that nugget of information.

Do-Yun approached the group after breakfast was finished, a somewhat melancholy smile on his face. “I heard you’re all leaving us shortly, then? You’re welcome to stay as long as you like, by the way. I don’t think the village is quite ready to lose their young ladies yet.” He glanced at the two sisters, who both looked a little sad themselves.

“It wouldn’t be right of us to impose on you for any longer, especially given how many of us there are. Thank you very much.” Yona bowed her head, and the others followed suit. Do-Yun nodded.

“Very well. We shall help you all prepare for your journey, so please don’t hesitate to ask for anything you need.”

The rest of the morning was spent gathering supplies. Yoon had spoken to Do-Yun in depth about various medicinal things he wanted to get his hands on, and the elder was able to direct him to a woman who could help him. Very soon Yoon had everyone lined up and made sure that they had everything they needed, checking bags multiple times to be sure they were ready. One thing they certainly weren’t ready for, however, was the number of tears that were shed as they stood at the main entrance. Milla and Tora were being swarmed by the villagers.

“Be careful the two of you, ya hear?”

“Look after each other!”

“You make sure you look out for your sister, Milla dear, okay? Stick together no matter what.”

“Come back and visit sometime! Don’t be strangers!”

Many tearful hugs were exchanged between the girls and the villagers, some even hugging the other group members as well.

“Thank you, everyone. We’ll be alright, so please don’t worry too much.” Tora had managed to control her tears enough to be able to speak properly. Milla just waved and wandered away a little to sob in peace.

Everyone waved their goodbyes one last time, and the group left the village and walked out into the early afternoon sun. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, and the air was buzzing with the chirps and clicks of insects. Half of the group took a while to calm their tears, so after about half an hour of walking Kija finally stopped sniffling and started talking.

“Where are we going now, Yoon?”

The younger boy wiped at his eyes for a final time and took his map out of his bag. “Well, we need to get out of the mountains first before we can go anywhere of interest. I’m just wondering which route is the best way out.”

Hak leaned over Yoon’s head to get a better view. “We’re here,” he said, pointing at a spot just inside the mountain range, “and we need to get to here.” Hak traced his finger in a line southwest of their current location. “In that case… I think I know how to get us there.”

“The Mister is very good with directions!” Zeno chimed in, and Shin-ah and Kazumi nodded. Yona studied the map herself for a moment.

“Can you get out that way, Hak? It looks dangerous.”

“Of course I can, Princess. I wouldn’t have been much of a general if I couldn’t do this. It’s basic training.”

“Doesn’t sound very basic to me,” Milla muttered. Tora sighed.

Jae-ha laughed and flicked his ponytail over his shoulder. “Well, our dear Hak hasn’t failed us yet, so I’d say we’re safe. For now, at least.”

“You make it sound like we’re always in trouble, Droopy Eyes.”

“You _are_ always in trouble, and it’s because you rare beasts can’t keep your voices down. You’re all too loud.” Yoon was scowling again while readjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder.

Hak swapped his glaive from his right hand to his left and stuck out his free hand. “It’ll be fine. I’ll take the map for now. I’ll look after it, promise.”

Yoon sighed, clearly torn about handing over his precious hand-drawn creation, but he gave it to Hak anyway.

“Alright then. Lead the way, raijuu.”


	6. Sisters' Observations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A well-needed release of energy, and the two newest members of the group discuss their companions.

The trip across the mountains from Milla and Tora’s village took several days of constant walking. The terrain was often uneven and gravelly, causing everyone to be a lot more cautious about where they were putting their feet. Several nights were spent tucked in any caves or indents in the rock that they could find, huddled together for warmth while the sharp wind blowing past them caused campfires to flicker and dance in the darkness. It was a relatively uneventful trip, apart from when the ground below Zeno and Shin-ah’s feet had crumbled away and caused them to slide sideways down a frightfully severe drop. Jae-ha managed to lunge forward in time to save Shin-ah, but Milla had to throw herself off the mountain trail to fly down and retrieve Zeno before he hit the bottom.

“Zeno would have been fine! Better Zeno than anyone else!”

“That is NOT the point!” complained Yoon and Kija, at the same time.

Thankfully, this was the only scare they had, and everything went smoothly. Perhaps _too_ smoothly, for as Hak had realised several days ago, they were bored. Usually the group had plenty to talk about to keep everyone entertained, especially now that there were three more of them, but there was only so much one could say about the grey coloured rock that all looked the same no matter where you looked. The occasional sighting of a bird of prey overhead or greenery poking up through the cracks in the ground were a blessing. Hak was at the front, map in one hand and glaive in the other, with Yona and Yoon shadowing him, leaving the dragons to talk amongst themselves. It was long and sometimes difficult, but Hak managed to lead everyone out of the mountains with no significant issues. _Finally, some grass. Wonderful._

A short while later, Yoon had chosen a camping site that suited him, and everyone could finally drop their bags and stretch their backs. The final leg of the journey had been short, but Hak had insisted on stopping the previous night and waiting until morning to continue in case something happened. A short journey also meant something else; everyone still had too much energy, which played a part in what was to come.

“Okay, I’m going to cook lunch so I need some wood for the fire. Who wants to go look for some?” Yoon rifled through his bag for ingredients and looked round at the group for volunteers.

Yona stuck up a hand to get his attention. “I’ll go! I saw a pile of wood on the way here that isn’t too far, so I’ll be back quickly.”

“Then I shall accompany you, Princess.” Kija laid his bag against a tree stump, and after Yona nodded they disappeared in the direction of the wood. Yona’s lively chattering filled the afternoon air. They came back about ten minutes later, both carrying a decent sized pile of sticks.

“Thanks so much, Kija! Your arm is really amazing, I wish I was cool like you. I’d be of more help that way.” Yona’s smile was cheerful and genuine, and Kija – as usual – wasn’t ready for the compliment.

“Eh-h? Oh, it’s… it’s nothing, Princess! And you… you are very cool…” The last part was more of a mumble as he looked down to hide his reddening face, but Yona just hummed and patted his head before offering another thank you and walking to Yoon to hand over the wood.

"White Snake, the princess was only going a few meters away, you didn't need to follow her so closely." Kija jumped, dropping a few of the sticks, and turned to see Hak lounging under the shade of a tree he had just walked past. _How does he always manage to appear like that?_ Kija wondered, slightly alarmed.

"It is my job to protect her no matter the distance. Anyone could be out in the woods! Besides, she could have needed some assistance with carrying the firewood and I want to help as her dragon as much as I can." Kija always looked at peace when he talked about helping Yona as ‘her dragon’, and Hak usually didn’t care. Today, however, he was bored, and the unsuspecting Kija was right where Hak wanted him.

Keeping his face straight but his tone light, Hak asked, "As her dragon? Or… something else?"

At first Kija didn’t seem to get what Hak was talking about, but then his eyes went wide and the earlier redness returned to his cheeks. Except, instead of turning away, he then scowled at Hak, clearly irritated and embarrassed. “What is that supposed to mean?”

 _Perfect._ “Whatever you want it to mean,” Hak shrugged indifferently. Kija shook his head and muttered – rather loudly – that Hak made ‘no sense’ and that he should use his command of language to ‘make himself clearer’.

“You want me to be clearer? Fine, White Snake, but my best language is the language of sparring.” Hak was now standing up straight, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “So how about it? Or are you still too flustered?”

“As if!”

Sticks were forgotten and caution was thrown to the wind as the bandages covering Kija’s right hand fell away and his hand enlarged, nails poised like a bird’s talons over Hak’s head. Hak would never admit it, but a part of him always got very excited when he saw the dragons’ powers in action. There was nothing else like it, and Hak had fought a lot of people who were highly thought of for their battle prowess. _Throwing one of those guys into the ring with someone like White Snake would be worth watching,_ Hak contemplated. His thoughts were abruptly ended, however, when he barely had enough time to unwrap his glaive before Kija’s hand was on top of him. The collision of claw meeting metal caused everyone else in the camp to turn to the source of the noise. Yoon was not amused.

“HEY! You're going to destroy the tents! I am _not_ making another one any time soon, so unless you want to sleep outside when the weather is colder, _cut it out_!" Yoon was quite a sight, with his hands on his hips and a wooden spoon clutched in a white-knuckle grip in his right hand, but his warning fell on deaf ears; there was no stopping them at this point.

Jae-ha had apparently decided he was going to be responsible for this sudden outburst, for he had patted Yoon’s head as he walked past and strolled over to where the two were fighting. Yona wasn’t sure if that was wise.

“Um, Jae-ha? Is it a good idea to interrupt them now? What if you get hurt?”

“Don’t worry, Yona dear. I’ll be just fine.” He smiled at her and then turned back to the duo. “Gentlemen, you can't throw yourselves around like that so close to the camp. You could hurt someo-" Jae-ha didn’t get to finish his sentence, as he was smacked in the face by a small branch that had been propelled forward by the force of Kija slicing it from a nearby tree, and he actually _stumbled_ a little.

“Idiot,” Milla mumbled. Kazumi laughed nervously beside her.

 After being dazed for a few seconds and massaging the bridge of his nose gently, Jae-ha smirked. “Well, well… I can’t let that slide, now can I?” The fight had now escalated into a three-way sparring match, and no one wanted to get involved for fear of losing their lives.

“Did Jae-ha just join in?” Tora asked. She was sitting with Shin-ah on a rock - at the opposite side of the camp, thankfully – and listening to the commotion while petting Ao, who was nestled in her lap.

“Yes… I thought he’d stop them, but…” Shin-ah’s voice was very soft, and Tora was quite thankful for it. The others were wonderful, but they could be so _loud_ sometimes. Shin-ah’s voice was easy on her ears. Tora laughed softly and then sighed.

“I suppose that’s to be expected.”

Back at the other side, Yoon was threatening to go in and separate them himself and Yona was trying to calm him down. Zeno and Milla took a much more relaxed approach and decided to make bets on who was going to win.

“I think Jae-ha will win, he’s faster than them both and could outwit them pretty easily.” Milla cracked her knuckles as she spoke, grinning her toothy grin as she watched the three.

Zeno laughed brightly. “Ryokuryuu is very good! But Zeno thinks Hakuryuu or the Mister could win, they’re both very determined. It could go either way!”

It went on for quite a while; Hak blocked Kija’s claws once again with his glaive before having to duck to avoid Jae-ha’s leg. Jae-ha borrowed Kija’s shoulders to do a sort of handstand up and over him before meeting Hak’s blade himself. Kija was never quite fast enough to get a good swipe at Jae-ha. Everything was fine, until Kija lunged forward at Hak before he was ready.

“Hak! Look out!” Multiple voices called for him, and Hak was just starting to swing his weapon round once again, when there was the sound of claws colliding on a blade that wasn’t his; there stood Kazumi, both swords raised to take the force of Kija’s blow. Everyone exhaled.

Jae-ha whistled through his teeth. “My, that was a close one. You almost lost your head, Hak dear.”

“I was fine. Thanks, Kazumi. Appreciate it.”

Kazumi nodded, looking like she was about to put her blades back in their sheaths. Instead, she whirled on Jae-ha, requiring him to block her with the blades he held between his fingers.

Jae-ha laughed, “Oh? Forcing me to play defense right from the start? How bold of you, but it won’t continue like this!” He swung his right leg up to make her jump back and give him space, but was on top of her again in seconds. _Fighting someone with two blades is a completely different game, it would seem,_ Jae-ha observed. Kazumi was _strong_ despite her timid outer appearance, a worthy opponent indeed.

“Actually, I’ve changed my mind. Kazumi is gonna win.” Milla nodded firmly at her new decision, and Zeno seemed to agree.

“Zeno thinks Murasakiryuu might be right.”

In the end, everyone had decided it would be best to let them burn up their energy, as now that there were four of them involved it was definitely too dangerous to intervene. The sparrers had begun to slowly move around the edge of the camp, until they were getting alarmingly close to where Shin-ah and Tora sat. They were starting to tire, but every blow still had a decent amount of power behind it. Hak was hit with the brunt of Jae-ha’s power and was sent skidding back until he was right beside Tora. Nobody rushed forward, but Shin-ah had his hand on his own sword in case he needed to act. Hak was panting, and internally Tora decided it was time to put an end to this.

“Oh whoa, sorry, Tora. That could have been messy, I’ll be more careful,” Hak said.

 _Well then_.

Tora smirked.

“Hak?”

“Yeah?”

The movement was like lightning. One minute Tora was sitting on a rock beside him, the next a sharp pain shot up through his jaw, the impact knocking him slightly off balance.

“I’m quite alright, thank you. Shall we call it a day?” Her voice was as smooth as it always was.

Everyone gaped in shock. Except for Milla, who cackled rather loudly before choking out “Classic Tora.” Jae-ha also started to laugh, hard. Hak just put his hand to his face and stared at the young woman in front of him. Tora’s expression didn’t falter once. Hak knew she couldn’t see, but he could still feel the intensity of her gaze as she looked him dead in the eyes for the first time. _Incredible_.

Nobody technically won, so Zeno and Milla’s bets fell apart quickly, but Yoon insisted the true winner was Tora given that she was the one who put a stop to the chaos. Yoon also insisted that those involved in the match tidied both their surroundings and themselves up before they even thought about eating anything, meaning that the remaining group members got to eat their lunch while watching their four companions traipse around the camp in shame. 

What better lunchtime entertainment could you ask for?

  
**********

  
It was decided over lunch that the day would be used as a rest day after travelling for so long. For most of the group it was great, but as one last punishment the four fighters had to wash the dishes in a nearby river. The day passed by quickly. Currently, Yoon had laid out the herbs he had left and was deciding which ones he needed to collect more of. Yona, Shin-ah and Zeno were sitting in a triangle playing a game with Ao that involved rolling an acorn to each other and Ao trying to catch it. Hak and Jae-ha appeared to be bickering in low voices about something, Kija and Kazumi sharing looks of distain. Milla and Tora had tucked themselves in between two large tree roots, sitting side by side in the shade.

“So, what do you think?” Milla looked up at her sister, sounding curious.

“What do I think about what?”

“About them. Our siblings and all. You always have your own thoughts on new people, so I was wondering what you had to say.”

“A nosy one, aren’t you?” Tora didn’t mind, for Milla was right – she did always have opinions, but she rarely expressed them fully. She couldn’t see a person’s body language to read them, but the way a person talked revealed more about them than you’d expect. For her personally, a heartbeat was also very telling.

Milla persisted, “C’mon, I know you’ve got more than enough in that head of yours. Spill. Start with Yona.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll tell you.” Tora folded her hands in her lap before continuing, “Well, Yona is a very driven young lady, and she loves her friends very much. She still has a long way to go in many respects, but she will get where she needs to be. I truly believe that. She can also be a little rash in her decisions, but that just makes being with her all the more exciting. Hak is blunt and straightforward, which I can appreciate, but sometimes I wonder how he hasn’t gotten into trouble for things he says. I have also never met anyone who loves to mess with their companions as much as he does. However, he is very dedicated to his job in protecting Yona, which is extremely admirable.”

Milla snorted. “Hak says some horrible things, but I find him pretty funny.”

“Of course you do. I also think… he has a lot on his mind, but unlike me he won’t share when prompted. I guess he’ll speak when he’s ready. As for Yoon, it has only been a few days and I think I can confidently say that without him we’d be much worse off. For someone so young he knows an awful lot. I don’t know if you noticed, but back in the village he was glued to our bookshelf for a very long time. I wish we could have given him some books to bring along, but there’s enough to carry already.”

“By ‘worse off’ do you mean we’d be dead? ‘Cause I can agree with that. He’s amazing, and his cooking is _incredible._ We’re spoilt. I’m already excited for dinner.”

Tora rolled her eyes. “You only had lunch a few hours ago, how can you be hungry?”

“How can you not be? Anyway, what about our siblings? You seem to get on with all of them, and I do too. I think we got pretty lucky.”

“You’re right about that. It’s a shame that Kazumi can’t speak, I’d love to hear her voice. Hopefully we’ll come up with a way to communicate without needing someone’s help. But she’s very sweet, and I’ll admit I was slightly surprised when she stepped in earlier to save Hak. I didn’t peg her as the type to get involved in that sort of thing, but she’s as lively as the rest of them. Kija is also very sweet, and he trusts deeply in the bond between us dragons. He is also pretty much fearless, which simultaneously worries and amazes me. I just hope he takes care of himself. Shin-ah is ridiculously quiet, but after hearing about his village from Yona I can understand why. His voice is gentle, which for me personally is a blessing, because as much as I love the rest of you, you can be terribly loud and it hurts my ears a little.”

“I never know what Shin-ah is thinking, his expressions don’t change much. Unless there’s food around, then he’s super happy. We’ve got that in common!” Milla laughed brightly and looked up at the sky. Small flies were zipping about above their heads, moving back and forth between the open air and the leaves of the tree.

A gentle hum escaped Tora’s throat. “Yes, I suppose you do. Hm, Jae-ha is difficult to pin down, I find him rather unpredictable. We had a bit of a hiccup when we first met, but he was very lovely about it the next day at breakfast so we can put it well behind us now. Sometimes he can seem like a young boy with too much energy and a cheeky attitude, today being an example, but other times he talks as if he’s as old as a great oak tree and has experienced everything life has to offer. I can appreciate his humour for the most part, though.”

“Jae-ha is also pretty funny, but I find him harder to understand sometimes. He’s a good flying buddy, though. I’d bring him along any time. It’s nice to have company when everything else feels so far away.” Milla pulled a handful of grass out of the ground and then let the blades float away in the breeze. “Zeno is really fun to be around, he knows a lot of good games to play. And he gives great hugs! He’s just really friendly all round.”

“I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing one of Zeno’s hugs, but I don’t doubt you. And you’re right, he is very friendly. Although, something tells me we’re only skimming the surface of Zeno as a person.”

Milla tilted her head, clearly perplexed. “What makes you say that?”

“It’s only a hunch, don’t worry about it. It’s probably just me overthinking things.”

“If you say so.” Milla stretched her arms up above her head before settling again, now rolling over to lie on her side and face her sister. “So, about today, I don’t really get why it started. What did Hak even do?” This caused Tora to chuckle, which confused Milla further. “What’s so funny?”

“Well, as I said earlier, Hak likes to mess with people. Today was just an example of that.”

“You mean he said something to Kija.”

Tora nodded, “Yes, and it was about Yona. I would explain, but I don’t think I really need to. Kija is a simple man and easy to read for the most part.”

Milla was quiet for a moment, and then it clicked. “Ohhh… I get it. How ironic. I don’t get why Kija would care, he must know what Hak is like by now.”

"I'd say he does, but I think it's what's in his heart that flustered him, not necessarily Hak's words."

“Adding fuel to the fire, then. Typical. Anyway, that means Yona has two guys pining after her, and she has no idea? Tragic.”

“It’s actually three, but the third one is a lot harder to figure out. He’s good that way.” When Milla didn’t respond, Tora nodded in a certain green dragon’s direction.

“No way.”

“Yes way.”

Milla laughed a little too loudly and slapped the ground beside her. “This is too good to be true. And Yona is completely oblivious?”

“It seems that way, yes.”

“That’s really something. I feel like I need to keep a sharper eye on them if we ever run into trouble in case they do something dumb.”

Tora shook her head, "Yona has more important things to think about, in my opinion, but if anything happens I'll certainly support it."

At that Milla straightened up again, and when she spoke her voice was more formal than usual. “How honorable of you, Tora.”

“Please don’t imitate me.”

Milla laughed again, more quietly this time. “Well, as loud and kinda annoying as they can be, they're a fun bunch."

Tora shifted her position and crossed her legs before replying. Milla wiped some dirt from Tora’s clothes. “They're the Happy Hungry Bunch, actually, from what I've been told by Yoon. Although, he did sound somewhat exasperated while explaining it. Apparently they were bandits for a while."

"Damn. I can't believe I missed out on the chance to be a bandit, that really sucks."

“As if you need another excuse to be reckless.” Tora heard Milla huff beside her, making her smile.

“But you punched Hak.”

“To prove a point.”

“You never let _me_ prove my points like that.”

"That's because your definition of proving a point is twisting someone's arm behind their back and refusing to let go until they apologise."

Milla just shrugged lazily. “I got the apology, though.” All Tora could do was sigh and rub her temples.

By the time Milla was finished trying to justify why her actions had been appropriate for the situation, Yoon was calling everyone for dinner. Explanation forgotten, the younger dragon was on her feet in an instant, eyes bright and excited for what delights Yoon had to offer this evening.

“Tora, let’s go! I’ll leave you here if you’re not careful.” Milla bounced around Tora’s feet as she stood up.

“Go on ahead of me, I’ll be there in a minute.”

Deciding that it was safe enough to let Tora wander over at her own leisure, Milla bounded across the grass to where Yoon was dishing out food into bowls for everyone, half jumping on top of Kazumi when she reached her. Tora smiled to herself and tilted her head up, strands of deep purple hair floating about her as the breeze whooshed past her and ruffled her clothes. She closed her eyes. Her sister’s steps were full of life, and for that Tora was grateful. _She had never belonged in a cave. She had had all the space she needed to fly, but what good was that when her home didn’t_ feel _like a home when she came back down? Her steps were heavier back then._

But now, in the space of a few days, they were lively and spirited, and Tora could admit that even her own footfalls felt meaningful. Their village had done everything they could to accommodate for them both, but they could never truly subdue the restlessness that the two sisters had felt from the moment they were old enough to realise they were capable of so much more.

“Tora! Are you alright? Come get some food before it gets cold!”

Pulled from her thoughts, she opened her eyes again and smiled.

“Yes, Yona sweetheart. I’m coming.”

Making her way towards the source of the constant chatter that she had come to adore, one thought bubbled to the front of Tora’s mind.

_Who could have predicted that our relief would be brought to us by a sixteen-year-old girl?_


	7. Clash at Nampo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls find out Zeno's true identity, and the group find themselves in a dangerous situation.

One rest day turned into several, the repressed fatigue everyone had been feeling finally creeping up on them and making more days of travelling seem tedious. They weren’t in any rush, and a few days of rest wouldn’t hurt any of them. Yoon had been unsure, always concerned about being found by the wrong people when their guard was down, but he was won over – just about – after Shin-ah, Jae-ha, and Tora reassured him that no one would find them any time soon. They were well out of the way of other people at the edge of the mountains. Their temporary lodging place was a peaceful one; birds were constantly filling the air with their songs, and the small river nearby bubbled as it flowed by. Yoon’s initial unease faded a considerable amount after he realised that he was in an area where he could collect some herbs he had been running low on. As he was starting preparations for the night’s dinner, he heard footsteps coming up behind him. When he turned around, he was looking into Zeno’s inquisitive face.

“Dinner won’t be ready for a while yet, Zeno. I’ve only just started laying everything out.”

“Zeno knows! The Lad just looked like he’d appreciate some help, is all.” Zeno smiled innocently, but Yoon couldn’t help but be suspicious. Zeno helped him sometimes, true, but he normally had to be prompted.

“Thanks, but I’m okay. It’s nothing troublesome so I’ll manage.” Yoon turned back to his pile of newly collected herbs, carefully selecting the ones he thought would work well with what he had in mind.

“Don’t be silly! Zeno will cut some things up for you.” As he spoke he reached for the knife that lay beside the cooking pot, pulling Yoon from his herby decision making.

Yoon stuck a hand out to try to stop him. “Zeno, wait! I just had Jae-ha sharpen that for me last night, so it’s really-!” He was cut off by the other’s startled yelp as he grabbed the wrong end of the utensil. Unfortunately, Zeno had looked up at Yoon while still reaching for the knife, not paying attention to where his hand was going, and now he had a deep gash that ran the length of his palm. The blood ran everywhere. Zeno’s cry (and now Yoon’s yelling) had alerted several other group members of the trouble around the cooking pot. Milla and Kazumi got to Zeno first, rushing forward to inspect the wound. Tora followed behind them.

Milla reached for Zeno’s hand, but he quickly drew it back. “Eh? Zeno, c’mon, let me see your hand. You’re bleeding everywhere!” True enough, there was a stream of blood running the length of Zeno’s right arm, staining his sleeve. Zeno just smiled and shook his head.

“It’s fine! Zeno is fine, it’s only a scratch!”

Milla narrowed her eyes at him, but Kazumi apparently had other ideas, for she quickly snatched up Zeno’s right wrist and pulled it out into clear view. He offered little resistance. Upon turning his hand over to face his palm upwards, the two girls’ eyes widened; Zeno’s palm was sticky with his blood, but something was… off.

“What the hell… That can’t be right.” Milla now had her brows knitted together, staring at her brother’s palm in disbelief.

“Is something wrong? Zeno, is your hand alright? Why is everyone panicking so much?” Tora sounded slightly frustrated with the lack of explanation from her companions.

“We’re not panicking! We’re just… confused,” Milla responded, her brow still creased. Kazumi also looked alarmed.

“Really? Because your heart rates tell a different story. Let me feel Zeno’s hand, please.”

Gently, Kazumi took Tora’s hand in her free one and guided it to Zeno’s palm. Again, Zeno stayed quiet. Yoon had also stopped yelling. Tora ran her fingers across his palm, and then quickly reached up behind her headband to her ear with her other hand before speaking.

“They’re the same… Those are scales, aren’t they Zeno?” Tora dropped her hand and allowed her question to hang in the air between them. Zeno still offered no comment.

“Scales? Where?” Milla tilted her head slightly while Kazumi ran her thumb over the surface of Zeno’s skin. It was faint now, but there was still a golden tinge to the skin where the knife had sliced him. The two girls stared. Kazumi finally released Zeno’s wrist so she could sign.

“ _I didn’t notice because of the blood.”_ Milla nodded her head in agreement.

The rest of the group had gathered to see what was going on, and had Kazumi and Milla been paying attention they’d have seen how their faces fell when Zeno announced, “Zeno’s wounds always heal.”

The weight carried in that one sentence could be felt by everyone in the camp; Tora realised what Zeno was insinuating immediately – and _God,_ how she wished she hadn’t – and Kazumi quickly followed suit, choosing to stare at the ground and clasp her still bloody hands in her lap. Jae-ha suddenly appeared behind Zeno, looking rather sombre.

“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to, Zeno.” His tone was gentle yet sad.

Milla, on the other hand, hadn’t quite grasped the seriousness of the situation, or what had just been implied. “Say anything about what? What's going on? Can someone please explain…” Her voice trailed off as Tora squeezed her shoulder, something she had done since they were children when Milla was about to put her foot in her mouth. She was silenced further when she met Jae-ha’s eyes; they were pleading with her to be careful. Milla averted her own eyes immediately.

Zeno casually waved his bloody hand and tried to reassure everyone that it was fine, but it didn’t really seem to help much. Yona moved to sit on his left and hold his clean hand. Hak helped Yoon clean up the mess that had been caused in the earlier panic in silence. Kija looked slightly paler than usual and quietly excused himself to go and look for firewood. Shin-ah and Jae-ha watched without a word from either of them. Yoon then got up and went in the same direction Kija had gone, leaving Hak to watch the dinner. Ao, sensing something wasn’t right, hopped off Shin-ah’s shoulder and curled herself up in Zeno’s lap, allowing him to scratch her ear gently.

Zeno looked down and closed his eyes, a slight smile still on his face. “Thank you, Ryokuryuu, but it’s really okay. It’s not fair to keep secrets.” _How ironic._ He looked up to face the three sisters, his tone serious and his face now straight. He shrugged, “Like I said, wounds always heal. Sickness is never a problem. I can't die, either, so you don't need to worry about me. It's not a big deal, really.”

Kazumi blinked incredulously before signing, rather quickly, _“’Not a big deal’?”_ Tora looked contemplative, while Milla glowered at him for being so casual. All three were visibly surprised by his sudden change in attitude. Suddenly, Milla’s eyes lit up in realisation. _Ouryuu has a strong body._

“Wait… Zeno, if you can’t die, then… No way.” Zeno met Milla’s gaze steadily and waited for her to continue. “Are you… are you the original Ouryuu? From King Hiryuu’s time?”

Zeno nodded once. “Yes, the original and only one. I wasn’t ever able to pass my powers along.”

The minute Zeno finished his sentence, Kazumi shot forward and pulled him into a tight hug, Milla bringing Tora gently along behind her to join in. Kija and Yoon returned, still visibly upset, and soon everyone had folded themselves one way or another around their oldest companion.

“There there, it really isn’t a big issue! The biggest issue Zeno can see is that dinner is going to burn! Besides, Zeno was married at one point! Not that bad at all.” Zeno had returned to his usual cheerful self, patting Kazumi on the back as the group separated again.

Yoon wiped at his eyes. “Stupid. Stupid, stupid. Come here so I can clean you up. You too, Kazumi, there’s blood on your hands.” Yoon waved for the two dragons to follow him to his bag. Zeno patted Yona’s hand and smiled brightly at her before getting up to follow Yoon and Kazumi. Everyone else returned to what they were doing before chaos broke out, leaving Milla, Tora, and Yona alone together.

“We didn’t know until not long ago, either,” Yona began quietly, still looking at the hand Zeno had been holding. “Just before we started searching for Kazumi, we were caught up in a fight with straggler soldiers. Kija, Shin-ah, and Jae-ha had all gotten sick, so Hak had to do a lot of the fighting on his own.” She smiled a little and fiddled with the hem of her skirt. “Of course, the other three would never sit still in a situation like that. They couldn’t, even if they were as ill as they were. But things started to look bad, and then Zeno stepped in… He saved us. All by himself. I couldn’t believe it, it didn’t feel real…” Yona shook her head and stood up, brushing dirt off her skirt before looking up to smile at the other two girls. “I’ll call you when dinner is ready, okay?” Tora and Milla nodded. Yona hesitated a little before heading in the direction where Yoon had gone.

When Yona was gone, Milla said, “I guess your hunch about Zeno's character wasn't just you overthinking things, huh. I can’t even imagine how he must have felt. Alone for, what, two thousand years? I know he said he was married, but… that wouldn’t have lasted long in comparison. I’m kinda surprised he didn’t go crazy.” Tora sighed.

“We don’t know that he didn’t.”

  
**********

  
Several days later, the group entered deeper into Fire Tribe territory. The land was barren with little greenery to be seen, just like it had been around the various other villages they had passed through earlier on their journey. Gusts of wind caused dust clouds to lift and dance through the air, itching noses and irritating eyes. The sky was clouded over and grey, rain threatening to fall at any time. Occasionally they would pass small groups of people as they tried to salvage what they could from the dry ground. Yona hoped that Tae-Jun’s efforts would one day put an end to the people’s struggle. After coming across a fork in the road and deciding on the right-hand path, the group found themselves walking down a much narrower road than the one they had just left. It was equally as desolate, but was surrounded by more trees, trees that were as dead as the land they were rooted to. _Wouldn’t be surprised if the roots had disintegrated from out below them,_ Milla meditated. Eventually, the outlines of buildings could be made out, and soon they were stopped at a wooden sign that had all but rotted away; every time it was jostled by the wind a piece flaked off and landed pitifully at their feet. Hak was squinting at the sign, trying to read what had been haphazardly carved into it.

“Any luck?” Yoon asked, coming to stand beside him.

“Uh, I think so. I think it says ‘Nampo’, but I don’t remember ever hearing the name before.” Hak gently tipped it upwards on its exceedingly rusty hooks to get a better look, but the whole thing came away with a clunk. “Whoops.”

Yoon took it from Hak and held it out at arm’s length. “Judging by the writing and the condition of the sign itself, the writing is definitely more recent. I’d say the name was changed at some point.” He set it down at the foot of the remaining wooden beam. “Although, looking at the state of this place, I can’t understand why you’d want to stay here.”

 _“It looks pretty spooky,”_ Kazumi signed.

“I agree, but taking a quick look around wouldn’t hurt, would it?” Kija was standing at the village entrance, looking back to see his companions’ reactions.

“I suppose we might as well, since we’re already here,” Tora said. The others sounded their agreements, and so they all moved further into the village.

It looked deserted. Buildings were falling apart, several with large gaps in their walls due to wood rotting away. Old carts were abandoned in the streets, toppled on their sides and forgotten about long ago. Every now and then, black figures seemed to move amongst the streets between the buildings, only visible out of the corner of an eye. It was enough to be unsettling.

"Does… does anyone else feel like they're being watched?" Yoon asked, rubbing at his arms. They had stopped along a street with houses running down either side, and it was eerily quiet.

“I feel it too,” Yona agreed, clinging a little more tightly to the strap of her quiver. “Something feels off.”

Jae-ha put a hand on Yoon’s shoulder and squeezed it gently. “I think the best option would be to turn back and take the left-hand road instead. I don’t like the vibe of this place. Shall we go?”

Everyone turned around to go back the way they had come, but they couldn’t go any further; a man and a woman had appeared in the middle of the road, both looking like they had no intention of moving. Their clothes were tattered and dirty, traces of old and messy repairs evident on their shirts and trousers. The man had a dark red bandana tied around his head and a sword at his side; the woman was twirling the loop of a kunai around an index finger, the edge of what looked like the top of a tattoo barely visible at her collarbone. _Bandits._

“Sorry, handsome, but yer not leavin' now yer here. At least, not without Jin seein' ya first.” The woman was smirking, a malicious glint present in her eyes. The group shuddered as one. Several other similar looking people - both men and women of various ages - had started to line the streets, appearing in windows and leaning in doorframes of the old houses. All of them were carrying weapons, varying from spears to axes. Everyone automatically moved to encircle Yona and Yoon.

Kija turned to address the woman who spoke, his gaze cool. “Jin? Who is that?”

“That’d be me.”

A woman, who couldn’t have been any older than her mid-thirties, had appeared from an alley to their left. She looked strong, and like her companions her clothes were torn, but her robes were missing both sleeves. Her arms were covered in scars, and there was a brand on the inside of her right forearm that the group couldn’t make out clearly. Jin too wore a sword, along with a sickle, strapped to her waist. Flanking her, along with yet more aggressive looking individuals, was a taller man of roughly the same age with shaggy looking black hair. He was also well built, and he carried a bow and full quiver of arrows over his shoulder. He eyed Yona’s own bow, and she stared right back, rousing a short, humorless laugh from him - everything about him looked dangerous. The group was now completely surrounded.

Jin ran a hand through her scruffy brown hair, an amused grin tugging at her lips. “Well, it's been a while since we've had such fancy visitors, ain't that right?” She raised her voice at the end of her sentence, addressing the ever-growing number of spectators on the sidelines. They shouted and whooped in response. “I can tell by lookin' atcha that you didn't come here on purpose. What’s your business in Nampo?”

“We don’t have any business, we’re just passing through. We don’t want any trouble,” Yona replied. She was watching Jin with careful regard, her eyes sharp and observant.

Jin folded her arms and sauntered up to stand in front of Milla, studying her face intently before doing the same to Tora, Kazumi, and finally Yona. Smirking, she addressed the four girls, “You're all pretty cute, wanna join us here? We ain't got that many girlies really, especially not as good lookin' as you folk. You'd be useful for… certain jobs.” There were a few disgruntled ‘humph’s from the surrounding crowd, but Jin paid no attention to them. She was about to reach out and pull back Yona’s hood, when Hak came up behind Yona and grabbed Jin’s wrist.

“What are you doing?” Hak asked, his grip tight and his gaze piercing. Some bandits had reached for their weapons. The intimidating man that had arrived along with Jin reached for an arrow and pointed his bow at the ground, ready to shoot if necessary. The dragons also readied themselves, hands resting on sword hilts and concealed blades. Jin wasn’t fazed.

“Askin' a question, and it wasn't to you, sunshine, so take a step back. There's a good lad.” She smiled at him mockingly, her own gaze equally as intense. Hak reluctantly let go of Jin’s wrist but stayed where he was. “Relax, everyone. These pretty mannered city folk ain’t a threat. They should know better than to come pickin’ a fight in someone else’s territory. Might ruin their fancy clothes.” This earned Jin several guffawing laughs, and the bandits relaxed again.

Milla rested her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. “Listen, I don't know what idea you've got about us, but we're not joining your… gang,” she said, gesturing vaguely around her. This time it seemed like the entire village was laughing. Male and female voices called out over the noise, now even from the rooftops.

“How cute, she’s tryin’ to square up.”

“What _spine_ , I’m _shakin’_ over here.”

“Nifty wee thing, ain’t she?”

Milla looked ready to tear them apart, but Kazumi and Shin-ah both secured a hand on her shoulders to stop her from moving. Jin turned on her heel and returned to her initial spot, chuckling to herself as she turned back to face them.

"Sorry, the look of hope in all your eyes was too good, I had to. The thought of havin’ a choice sure is nice, huh? Truth is, you ain't leaving here without givin' over two of your girlies there." Jin waved a finger at the four girls, who all wore looks of shock and disgust. She continued, "If you all leave without a fuss then we'll not harm 'em, but if ya insist on causin’ a ruckus then we'll just have to kill all of ya, startin' with the youngest. I haven't gone on this long by leavin' survivors, so this is me bein' real nice. Now, who's comin'?"

The girls all looked at each other, eyes pleading with one another not to do it. Kija shook his head and whirled to face Jin, his face angry. “This is ridiculous, of course they won’t go! Why would they want to join a group as rowdy as this?”

“Can it, snowdrop, this ain’t your decision. Are you their nanny or somethin’? Pretty sure they can think for themselves.” This was the archer man again, who at this point most definitely seemed to be Jin’s right hand. None of the other bandits had spoken a word without being prompted. Kija scowled and turned away to face the rest of the group, Zeno patting his arm gently.

“Kija is right, this _is_ ridiculous. What the hell are we supposed to do? What’s the safest option?” Yoon raked a hand through his hair and frowned. “We won’t just leave two of you here.”

Yona clenched her hands together at her sides as her companions bickered amongst themselves, trying to figure out what to do. She steadied herself and looked up to meet their eyes. “I will go. I want to keep you all safe, and if staying here means you all can leave unharmed then I’ll do it.” Everyone looked at her like she was crazy.

Milla slapped a hand down onto Yona’s shoulder and turned her to look at her. “Like hell you’re going. You’re gonna stay here, and _I’ll_ go. I’d like to see them try and lay a hand on me.”

“Absolutely not.” Tora’s tone was sharp, causing everyone to jump.

“Tora dear, try to stay calm. We’ll figure something out.” Jae-ha was trying to be kind, but Tora wasn’t biting.

“None of you can speak to me about being calm at the moment, I’m being deafened by your heartbeats right now.” She turned to Milla, who was looking at her in surprise. “Milla, as your older sister, I cannot and will not allow you to go when there’s no need for you to. Therefore, you will stay with Yona and the others, and you will be sensible about it, alright?” Tora swept past her sister despite her protests and stood before Jin, who nodded approvingly.

“One down, one to go. Tick tock, folks.”

Suddenly, Tora felt a warm hand grip her own, and she knew just by the gentleness of it that it was Kazumi. Shin-ah had reached out to tug her sleeve to make her stop, but Kazumi gave him a small smile and a shaky thumbs up, and he let go. All the others could do was watch.

Jin, on the other hand, seemed thrilled with her new possessions, for she grinned and clapped her hands together. “Good girls, you two can come with me. Songmin, show these generous folks out, would ya?” Jin wandered off, the sea of delinquents parting so she could move through while Tora and Kazumi were half dragged along behind her by four other bandits. They disappeared from view as the circle rejoined again. Songmin, the archer, started to move towards the group, trying to herd them in the other direction.

“You heard Jin, let’s get movin’.”

"And leave my friends here? I don't think so." Yona had taken a step towards Songmin, looking at him with a burning intensity. "The truth is, we won't leave without them."

Songmin’s grin was venomous. “Oh? Well, can’t let ya go round mimickin’ the boss and let ya get away with it. Guess yer not gettin’ out alive.”

The whole time this exchange had been going on, the sky had grown darker and heavier, and the air was crackling with the promise of a thunderstorm. The group was surrounded on all sides and from above.

Jae-ha sighed as he got into position. “Well, fighting against ladies was certainly the last thing I expected to be doing when I woke up this morning, how tragic. There must be a better way to settle this.”

“They’re not after your affection, Droopy Eyes. They’re after your head,” Hak retorted as he unwrapped his glaive.

“Ryokuryuu is going to die by a lady’s hand if he keeps up that attitude,” Zeno added. Jae-ha shrugged.

“I can think of worse ways to go.”

“Shut up the lot of you, they’re coming!” Milla snapped, and true enough the tide of opponents had started to advance on them. Yona had her bow drawn, standing at the center of the group along with Yoon. Thunder roared in the sky above them. The cries of the bandits and the scraping of metal weapons rang out across the streets as the first drops of rain began to fall, and the first wave of people dropped from the rooftops. Yona steeled herself.

_Tora, Kazumi, hang in there. We’re coming to get you!_


	8. Desperate Measures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight rages on, and Kazumi makes a snap decision.

The rain seemed to come down all at once; the small group heading to a building further into the village were soaked to the skin in the short distance from the side street to the front door. Once inside, Tora and Kazumi’s wrists were tied, and they were forced into a sitting position in the middle of one room within the two-roomed structure. This room looked like what was once an office of sorts, probably where the village elder had lived before they were removed from their home. Evidence of their existence was still visible: old scrolls and ink pots sat on the desk, a map – now badly faded and torn at the edges – was mounted on the far wall opposite the window, books sat on shelves that were now enveloped in cobwebs. It was once probably a warm, inviting space, but now it looked more like the front room of a slaughter house; there were weapons laid out along the back bench, blades of various lengths and sharpness placed side by side in a meticulous fashion. The doorway to the next room was covered by a thick curtain, but Kazumi couldn’t help but notice the dark specks sprayed on the floor just under the bottom of the curtain. The desk was also covered in miscellaneous objects, things like jewellery, medicine bottles, and little cloth bags laid out ready for inspection. _Probably came from the people they’ve robbed,_ Kazumi observed. _Or worse._

Jin was leaning back against the desk, her arms crossed as she looked out the window. The rain rattled loudly on the roof above them, but the distant shouts of people could still be heard over the din. She smirked. “Nice folk ya have there, tryin' to get to ya and all. True friends.” After drumming her fingers on her arm and pausing for a moment, she continued, “Shame. A waste.”

At that, Tora sat up straight and turned her head in Jin’s direction. "Shame? How is that a shame? The only thing that is a waste around here is your life. Surely you have better things to do than take prisoners and live like… like this."

Kazumi couldn’t tell if Jin was angry or amused as she stared at Tora with an odd look on her face, but for both their sakes she hoped it was the latter. Jin pushed herself off the desk and walked to stand in front of Tora, before crouching down to her level and fastening a hand tightly on Tora’s shoulder. "I could tell ya everythin', but _you_ don't have enough time, an' _I_ don't have enough hard liquor for that to happen right now. So sorry." With a wink and an even tighter squeeze to Tora’s shoulder, Jin stood up and moved towards the door. Kazumi only got a glimpse at the brand on her arm, but it looked like the letter ‘ _S_ ’. “I'm goin' out to help. If none of them comes for their girlies after ten minutes, kill 'em." The bandits all nodded, and Jin disappeared out into the downpour.

Tora rotated her shoulder and mumbled, “That will leave a mark, for sure.” When she continued, her voice was louder and more certain. “Well, I guess we're stuck here for a bit. No matter. The others will be here soon, it'll be alright." As Kazumi watched her sister’s face, she wondered if Tora was saying that out loud to help her, or whether it was to reassure herself personally. Either way, Kazumi appreciated the effort, and nudged her sister gently to show it. Tora smiled in response. The moment was ruined, however, by the gruff laugh of one of their guards.

"Yer friends won't get close. The rescue missions 'ere always fail. They’re done." The man grinned, showing blackened teeth.

"Hmph. So are your lungs, by the sounds of it. It’s nothing short of a miracle that they’re still- !" Tora was cut off by the knee of said bandit colliding with her gut, the amount of coughing she did after suggesting the great force of the blow. Kazumi stared in horror at both her sister and the man, whose eyes were now shining with murderous intent.

"We can't kill ya yet, true, but Jin didn't say nothin' about a few bruises beforehand."

Eight pairs of eyes burned into the two girls like hot pokers. Kazumi turned her head away and grimaced, wracking her brain for a way out. _What do I do? If this keeps up, we'll be beaten before we've started! Even if I_ could _speak to Tora, we can't come up with a plan with these bandits here. They took all my weapons away. I don't even know if Tora can fight!_

Kazumi squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the sound of Tora coughing beside her.

_Yona… Everyone… What the hell am I supposed to do?_

_  
_ **********

  
The trodden ground was fast becoming more like a marsh than a road, feet sinking and sliding in the mud as the fight raged on. The rain was coming down in sheets, flashes of lightning making blades gleam white for a few seconds at a time. Clothes quickly started to cling to their bodies and their hair was plastered to their faces, occasionally obscuring their line of sight. Hak, Kija, Shin-ah, and Yona were doing their best to cut down the number of opponents on the ground, while Jae-ha and Milla danced between the rooftops above. It was going to be a long day.

“Where the hell did that woman find so many people?” Hak wondered aloud as he whacked two bandits with the butt of his glaive before cutting them down. “I don’t think even the Wind tribe troops are this big.”

“A lot of discontented hearts amongst the people, I would guess. Although, I do see what you mean. Their numbers seem a bit much,” Kija replied, sending five people flying at once with his claw. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, however.”

“Just don’t overexert yourself, White Snake. I’m not carrying you around all day.”

“That won’t be necessary, I can assure you.”

With that, the two stood back to back briefly before launching themselves back into the chaos around them. Further towards the center, Yona stood with Yoon and Zeno guarding her, shooting anyone who came too close.

“Zeno, can you sense Kazumi and Tora? Do you know where they are?” Yona asked as she reloaded her bow.

“Yes, Orenjiryuu and Koniroryuu are still in the village somewhere. They seem okay, for the most part.”

“You could have left out the ‘for the most part’ bit, Zeno,” Yoon grumbled as he stood with his arms splayed out on Yona’s other side. Zeno laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.

Yona wiped some drenched strands of hair from her eyes. “It’s okay, thank you Zeno. That’s good enough for now.” After shooting a man who had been aiming for Kija without him noticing, Yona sighed and started thinking as she reached for another arrow. Her quiver was running low, she’d have to be more selective with her shots now. Another roar of thunder boomed above them. _Please be okay, we’ll be there soon._

  
Up on the roof was equally as treacherous as it was on the ground, Milla and Jae-ha discovered. The slate was slippery in the wet, making it harder to move around freely. Milla’s wings worked well as both a weapon and a shield, but she carried several daggers too for long distance fighting. She threw one into a woman’s leg, causing the bandit to lose her footing and slide off the roof, taking a few others with her. _And they’ll come right back up, the bastards,_ Milla thought. Her blood was roaring in her ears as she tried to clear her head, but she was so _angry._ She had already made her palms bleed from digging her nails into them earlier, when they took her sisters away. _They took Tora away._ “Damn you, Tora, damn you and your selflessness” _,_ Milla cursed under her breath as she stabbed another dagger into a man’s shoulder, with more force than necessary, before shoving him off.

Jae-ha’s attention was somewhat divided between watching out for Milla, and watching out for himself. He had been the one to mention her palms to her, and he had also seen the blood. As he blocked a sword with the kunai between his fingers, he furrowed his brow. Rain ran down his neck and then his back, making him shiver. _She’s blaming herself for not stepping up, for not trying harder,_ he meditated, _and now she can’t calm herself down. What can I do to help her?_ After swinging his right leg round and kicking away two more bandits, he misjudged his footing and slipped, giving a woman – younger than any of the others he’d seen by a long shot – the opportunity to get close. He was about to whip out more kunai, but then froze when he saw her face.

_She looks so like… So like…_

With a thump, the young woman was sent flying backwards and off the roof as Milla’s wing slammed into her. Jae-ha managed to flip over and straighten himself up, and was instantly met with Milla’s face very close to his own as she grabbed a fistful of his coat and dragged him down to eye level. “What the hell is wrong with you? Do you _want_ to die? Be more careful!” She was breathing hard, and Jae-ha couldn’t tell if the water on her face was rain or tears, but he _could_ see that she was panicking.

“I’m sorry, Milla, dear. It won’t happen again.”

Holding his gaze for a few seconds, she then let go, whirling to meet two more bandits coming up behind her. Jae-ha straightened, fixing his coat and flicking his fringe out of his face. _She's worried about Tora, of course she is. Those are the wild eyes of someone who's frightened about what’s to come_. He looked out across the village as he caught his breath, another flash of lightning illuminating the battlefield. _Where are you, you two?_

 _  
_ “Have we lessened their numbers at all? It feels like we’re not making any progress!” Kija called over the next clap of thunder. His normally spotless white robes were now stained with red, blood mixing with the rain as it dripped from his claws. Hak gritted his teeth beside him, holding two sword-wielders at bay with his glaive’s staff.

“They’re like ants crawling out from the woodwork. They’re never ending.” At this, Kija shuddered.

“Must you bring insects into this, Hak?!”

“Of course. Watch it, White Snake.” Hak slashed the two bandits in front of him, then quickly spun round and cut down another. Shin-ah appeared on Hak’s other side and sliced two more, only for more to replace them. “What the hell…”

Suddenly, an arrow whizzed past Hak’s head, imbedding itself in the chest of another approaching woman. The three turned to see Yona lowering her bow, Yoon and Zeno keeping a sharp eye on either side of her.

“Thanks, Princess,” Hak called, giving her a nod. When Yona returned it, he couldn’t help but smirk. Yona started to jog towards them, Zeno and Yoon moving with her until she stood in front of her companions.”

“Shin-ah, Zeno said that Tora and Kazumi are still in the village somewhere. Can you see exactly where?” Yona looked tired, but there were sparks of determination still in her eyes. Hak and Kija dealt with the next wave of opponents while Shin-ah looked around, and then he pointed north-west of where they currently were, towards a slight incline.

“There, they’re both… in a house? But that lady from before isn’t there. There’s… four guards with them.”

Yona was silent for a moment, and then she nodded firmly. “Okay, thank you, Shin-ah. Someone signal to Milla and Jae-ha to start moving. Everyone, let’s push forward!”

  
**********

  
Tora’s coughing had finally subsided, and since then there hadn’t been much noise in the room apart from the rolling of thunder and crashing of rain from outside. Time was ticking away, and Kazumi still hadn’t come up with an escape plan. How long did they have? Four, five minutes at most? And there was still no sign of help. Kazumi’s eyes kept wandering to where her weapons were stacked against the wall, agonisingly close to her yet not worth the early death that she or Tora would receive for reaching for them. Instead, Kazumi listened to the conversation that had started between the four guards.

"Easy there, fella. You can't beat 'em too bad, or they won't scream when they should!"

"Like you can talk, you don't know yer limits. No finesse."

"Do ye even know what that means? 'Cause it don't sound it."

“Shut up.”  
  
Three of the four laughed, the other sulked with a sour expression on his face. Kazumi shifted uncomfortably in her spot and looked at Tora instead, who had her eyes closed. She hadn’t spoken since her coughing stopped, and to anyone else it would look like she had submitted. However, Kazumi knew her sister, and so she understood that what was actually happening was that Tora was listening. Probably to what was going on with the others. Kazumi had noticed that she did it a lot when a group of them went shopping, or when Jae-ha went scouting with someone, and she’d only stop once they were close by once again. Shin-ah had told her that Tora’s hearing was essentially the equivalent to his eyesight, just a different sense. Kazumi wasn’t sure if she’d enjoy such a power, but Tora had made it her own, just as all her other siblings had. Except…

"Cat got yer tongue or what? Been awful quiet since this brute connected 'is knee to your gut. Or 'ave you died sittin' up?" Kazumi jumped at the sudden noise and looked round to see the female guard watching them, her lips curled in amusement. Beside Kazumi, Tora chuckled.

"Not bloody likely. I won't die in a place like this, neither of us will." Tora raised her head to look in the woman’s direction and straightened her back, her voice steady. Kazumi didn’t understand how she could be so calm.

The woman apparently found Tora’s response funny, for she had started to laugh again. “Don't be so sure, yer time is basically up. Y'know, considerin' how high n' mighty y'all looked, you ain't makin’ much progress. Guess you ain't that tough after all."

The man with the sour expression had pushed himself off the wall and come to stand beside the woman. "That's it, no more time. Was a nice time we all 'ad here, but all good things come to an' end, as they say." Then he turned to Tora and continued, "Since ya were so vocal earlier, you get to go first. Ain't that nice?"

Everything happened incredibly quickly.

The man and woman grabbed Tora from the floor and began to drag her towards to doorway covered by the curtain. The remaining two held Kazumi in place so she couldn’t get up; all she could do was watch as her sister fought against her captors. Her mind was racing, tears burning at the corners of her eyes as she tried to get to Tora. _I can't do anything! Tora is going to die and I can't do anything to stop it! I can't…  I…_

_Oh._

Kazumi blinked away her tears as well as she could and once again looked at Tora, who had put her feet on either side of the doorframe to try and save herself from going in.  

_There is something I can do._

Tora looked back in her direction, a look of understanding on her face. She closed her eyes.

_Tora, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry for this._

Kazumi allowed the rumble in her throat to build, and it was over in a second.

  
**********

  
The explosion at the other end of the village was loud enough to be heard over the roar of the battle and the crashing of the thunder right above them. The ground trembled from the intensity of it, and both parties had come to a halt to stare at the large dust cloud billowing out over the rooftops. Planks of wood came sailing through the air and landed close by, some hitting a few bandits who hadn’t moved fast enough to avoid them.

Kija was first to break the silence. “What… on earth was that?”

Suddenly, a small group of bandits standing a little away from them seemed to fly into a panic. Yona only caught parts of what was being said.

“… Jin’s place! That was the boss’ house!”

“We’ve gotta find ‘er!”

 _Ah, so that’s where Shin-ah had pointed to earlier._ The small group took off towards the dust cloud, the battle that had been going on for the last ten minutes quickly abandoned in favour of searching for their leader. The remaining numbers also looked confused and alarmed.

Hak observed their surroundings while he talked. “It didn't sound like a bomb though, it was more like-“

“A voice,” Yona cut him off, her tone a mixture of concern and awe, “or a scream.” Suddenly she whipped round to face the rest of the group, her eyes wide. “Wait... I think that was... Was that Kazumi's power? Did she just use her voice?"

Realisation crept its way into their faces. Kija frowned. "What great force, it's hard to imagine something like that coming from her. They must have been backed into a corner." Beside Kija, Shin-ah looked at the ground, his grip on the handle of his sword tightening.

“Tora… Tora’s ears…”

The words had barely left Shin-ah’s lips when a gust of wind swept past and ruffled their clothes; they looked up just in time to see Milla flying away from them in the same direction that bandits had gone. Hak turned to Jae-ha, who had slid down to the bottom of the roof so he could hear them better.

“Droopy Eyes, go with her! She’s in no state to be doing anything on her own right now.”

 _Ah, so you noticed too, Hak,_ Jae-ha noted as he prepared to take off. However, a voice from the ground halted him.

“Wait, Jae-ha! Take me with you.” Yoon peered up at him through his drenched fringe, patting his bag below his shawl. “We don't know what those two are like in terms of injuries right now, if they're badly hurt they'll need medical attention.” When Jae-ha hesitated, Yoon called up again. “Please!”

After glancing quickly at Zeno, who was giving him an encouraging look, Jae-ha sighed. “You really are persistent, a true mother.” For once, Yoon didn’t complain, and in one swift movement Jae-ha had leapt down from the roof, swept Yoon up onto his back, and launched himself up into the black sky. Jae-ha really wished he had said something to Milla earlier.

  
_Almost there. I’m nearly there._ Milla hadn’t stopped to think about what she should do; the moment Shin-ah had mentioned Tora’s ears, her wings had acted on their own. A small part of her felt guilty for taking off without warning, but she knew the others could look after themselves. The water running in her eyes was making it difficult to see clearly, but she could just about make out the shape of a demolished building up ahead. Another flash of lightning briefly lit the way for her. _Almost there._ Everything else felt very distant, everything except that house. At one point, Milla thought she heard voices, followed by a slight stinging sensation on her left thigh. _Probably just grazed something on one of these old roofs. It’s nothing,_ was the conclusion she came to as she flew on through the storm.

Jae-ha was doing his best to keep up, but Milla’s wings were more powerful than his leg, especially now since she was in a hurry. Suddenly, Yoon pointed to one of the upcoming rooftops.

“Jae-ha! Is that Jin?”

True to Yoon’s word, there was Jin, standing on the roof of one of the taller buildings in the village. She was as sodden looking as the rest of them, her previously wild hair now hanging in strands about her shoulders. A flash of lightning revealed that she wasn’t looking at them but at Milla, and she had two blades in her hands.

“Milla! Look out!” Both cried out to their companion, but she didn’t seem to hear them. She also didn’t react when Jin’s blades pierced her thigh. Jae-ha threw his kunai in her direction, but only one managed to embed itself in Jin’s shoulder.

Jae-ha gritted his teeth. “We don’t have time to deal with her right now. Let’s just hope she doesn’t decide to go to where we’re headed.”

Yoon looked back over his shoulder and just about caught a glimpse of Jin; she was still on the roof, a hand resting on the place where Jae-ha had hit her. The worst thing, though, was that she was smiling. Yoon shuddered. “I can’t wait to get out of this place.”

The sting she had felt earlier turned into a searing pain that shot down her leg as Milla landed a little way off from the house. Stumbling, she looked down and saw two throwing knives sticking out of her thigh, two patches of blood starting to form on the leg of her trousers. She grimaced. _Damn, it hurts to move. But I can’t just stand here, I have to keep going!_ Her fingers hovered over the hilt of one knife, but then she let her hand fall back to her side. _No, I can’t remove them or I’ll just bleed out. Guess they’ll have to stay put for now._ Looking up, she could see that one half of the building had been completely blown away. It was difficult to see much else, in all honesty, but she could hear shouting somewhere nearby. Steeling herself, Milla ran towards the building, her feet sinking into the mud while her leg screamed at her to stop.

_I’m coming!_

  
**********

  
When Kazumi sat up and observed the scene around her, she was equally appalled and amazed. The blast from using her power had sent her flying backwards, causing her to crash into the desk and knock its contents everywhere. The two bandits that had been holding her were unconscious in a heap behind her. The two that had been holding Tora were nowhere to be seen, probably blown away with the rest of the building.

_Oh god, Tora._

Looking around frantically, Kazumi finally spotted some deep purple amongst the rubble in the area where the doorframe had been only moments prior. Tora wasn’t dead, she knew that much, but the lack of movement was alarming nevertheless. Shuffling on her knees, Kazumi managed to grab hold of a sharp piece of debris and used it to slice the bonds around her wrists. Next, she snatched up her weapons and returned them quickly to their places – just in case – before finally skidding across the floor to where Tora’s hair stood out against the brown wood. Thankfully, Kazumi didn’t have to dig very far before she was able to lift Tora under her arms and drag her out into the middle of the floor. She was unconscious. Using her thighs as a pillow, Kazumi rested Tora’s head on her lap and carefully brushed aside the hair that covered the part of the headband where her ears were. _No blood, thank goodness._ Kazumi felt herself tear up as she sighed with relief.

Suddenly, Tora sat bolt upright and started to cough, narrowly avoiding smacking her forehead with Kazumi’s. When she was done, she ran a hand across the ground before calling out for her sister.

“Kazumi?”

A gentle hand rested itself on Tora’s shoulder, and Tora smiled as she raised her own to sit on top of it. “I’m alright. My ears are ringing a little and everything sounds a bit muffled, but other than that I’m fine. No permanent damage has been done. But what about you? Squeeze my hand if you’re alright.”

Kazumi complied, and Tora sighed. “That’s good, I’m really glad.” Tora spun herself round to face Kazumi before continuing, “What you just did there was amazing, Kazumi. I’ve always wondered what the dragon’s voice was like, but that was truly spectacular. Thank you for saving me.” Kazumi was glad Tora couldn’t see her at that moment, because she was trying her best to fight the tears that threatened to fall and was almost failing. Suddenly, Kazumi noticed movement out of the corner of her eye; the two bandits who had restrained her before were getting up again, and they looked angry.

“What the hell… What the _hell_ did you do?” The venom in the man’s voice was frightening, but in a flash Kazumi was on her feet with her swords in hand, eyes alive and focused, ready to defend her sister with her life. One bandit rushed forward and Kazumi met him head on, blocking him with her swords before swinging round and cutting him down. She was about to turn on the second one when a figure came soaring down from above and crushed them into the ground at their feet. With a flick of his fringe and a smirk, her saviour – no, saviours, there were two people - stepped off the bandit and stood before her.

“Hello, Kazumi dear, Tora dear. Sorry about the wait.”

“Jae-ha.” Tora breathed. Kazumi waited until Jae-ha had set Yoon down before throwing herself at him, tears burning at the corners of her eyes again. He returned the hug with no hesitation, rubbing her back gently before letting her go again. _How does he always manage to smile in these situations?_ Kazumi wondered.

“Tora! Are okay? Are your ears hurt? Let me see.” Yoon was fussing over Tora where she was still sat on the floor, but she was laughing. A very musical sound.

“Hello, Yoon. I’m glad you’re safe. Where is everyone else? Are they still where we left them?”

Yoon was about to answer, when he was cut off by someone half collapsing against one of the wooden beams that were still standing. Upon closer inspection, they saw that it was Milla.

“Tora! Tora, are you okay? Can you stand? I’m so sorry I couldn’t get here sooner; the rain is so bad and there were so many of those bandits and… and…” Milla’s words turned into a blubbering mess as she started to cry. Moving across the room, once in front of Tora she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around her neck in a fierce hug. Tora stroked her hair and allowed Milla to cry into her shoulder, murmuring quietly to try and soothe her. Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted by Yoon, who sounded rather stressed.

“Milla, your leg! Jae-ha and I saw Jin hit you with some blades when you were flying, you’re an absolute mess! I’m surprised you can even still walk in that condition!” He made Milla sit still while, with some help from Kazumi, he pulled the daggers from her thigh and bandaged her up. “This is only a rough job until I can look at it properly, so please be careful. I’d avoid walking on it if you can help it.” While Yoon continued to talk, Tora joined Jae-ha outside the ruins of the house while he kept watch. The rain had eased up slightly, and the thunder was starting to become more distant.

“Thank you for coming to get us. It’s nice to have some familiar voices close by again.”

Jae-ha chuckled. “As if I’d ever leave you here, Tora dear. Mind you, Kazumi was doing pretty well on her own, she shook up the whole village. Quite literally. Ah, how are your ears?”

Tora touched her headband lightly with her fingertips, just over where her ears were. “They’re alright, not as bad as I expected. Everything is still a little muffled, that’s probably why I didn’t hear any of you coming. I’ll be normal again in a day or two, I should think.”

“I’m glad. It would be a shame if they were damaged at all.”

“I wouldn’t be much of a dragon warrior if I couldn’t take a little noise, now, would I?” They both laughed lightly for a moment before settling again.

Jae-ha ran his fingers through his ponytail, pulling at the wet knots. “Mmmh, we can’t afford to stay here for very long, I’m afraid. A group of those troublemakers left for this place shortly before we did, so they’re likely not far away. I’d like to avoid fighting them, if possible.”

Tora nodded and turned her head towards the building; Yoon and Kazumi were still fussing over Milla, who was trying to stand up despite what Yoon had said. She ended up falling back over again, Kazumi grabbing her arm for support while Yoon shouted about rare beasts and disobeying orders. Tora let out a short laugh.

“I guess we’d best get a move on, then. Let’s get back to the others, shall we?”


	9. Escape Route

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight at Nampo comes to an end, but not without bloodshed.

After what seemed like years, Yona and the remainder of the group were finally able to start moving through the sea of opponents with a bit of ease. They had backed off somewhat, the decrease in their numbers now a lot more obvious. Kija seemed pleased, but Hak shook his head. “They’re just being cautious. Careful, they’ll look for an opening, crafty bastards.”

“We need to break away from them somehow if we want to find Jae-ha and the others. The question is, how?” Kija was breathing hard, as were they all. They had been fighting for a long while now, and the bandits had shown no sign of relenting any time soon. The group had been slowly moving backwards until they had their backs to a side street, one of the many entrances into the rabbit warren of a town that Nampo appeared to be. Hak was quiet, glaive raised in front of him while his mind raced to find a solution. Then, he had an idea.

“Princess, when I tell you to run, go down the alley and head for that building Shin-ah mentioned. Shin-ah, Zeno, go with her. Please. And don’t stop for anyone." Hak said this without turning around, leaving Yona to gawk at the back of his head. Shin-ah had nodded and put a hand on Yona’s shoulder to spin her round, but she didn’t budge.

“But, Hak…“ Yona trailed off when something warm touched her hand and turned just as Zeno took it securely in his own. His smile was warm.

"It'll be fine, Miss. The Mister and Hakuryuu can handle it! You’ll be safe with us." As Zeno started to lead her away from Hak and Kija, she took the opportunity to look at what she could of Hak’s face; the effort needed to keep fighting was clearly taking a toll on him, but his gaze remained focused and determined, his brows furrowed slightly in concentration. Water droplets were still hanging onto the ends of strands of his hair from the rain, which was now nothing but a drizzle.

“Alright. Whenever you’re ready, then.” Yona’s heart was pounding in anticipation of Hak’s signal. Zeno’s grip on her hand tightened slightly, ensuring they wouldn’t be separated. Shin-ah was in front of them, ready to take the lead. After what felt like hours, Hak yelled at them to go, and the trio took off down the alley. The shouts of the bandits could be heard even after they’d gone down three more streets. " _They must be trying to break through, I hope Hak and Kija will be alright!"_ Yona thought, chewing her bottom lip.

They ran along dozens of side streets and narrow alleys, occasionally slipping on the muddy ground as they went. Shin-ah was a little ahead, checking that the next street they entered was empty before continuing, but Yona still felt like she could see shadowy figures moving in the broken buildings. They rounded a corner into a much wider street and Yona slammed directly into Shin-ah, who had stopped dead, standing with his sword raised. Her heart sank to her stomach when she saw why.

There stood Songmin, the archer man from earlier – although he had now swapped his bow for a spear, its blade similar in shape to Hak’s but longer – and four other men. They all looked amused about the sight before them. Yona’s heart dropped the whole way to her feet, however, when one final figure appeared from behind Songmin, a shoulder haphazardly bandaged and bloody.

“Nice try, but this is as far as ya go, darlin’,” said Jin.

  
**********

  
"I'm glad we left when we did, more of those guys showed up than I expected," Yoon sighed, clearly relieved about the avoidance of further conflict. He was moving alongside Tora, watching her carefully in case she had any trouble walking through the undergrowth. They had decided to go through the incredibly small forest area that went around the northwest corner of the town for a less direct approach, the first greenery they’d seen for miles before arriving in Nampo. Jae-ha was behind them with Milla on his back, and Kazumi was slightly ahead to keep watch.

"Yes, but lying in the mud with water running down my back wasn't exactly what I wanted to be doing either, if I'm honest," Jae-ha sighed as he looked down at the front of his coat, which was caked in mud. Just as they had left the remains of what they had learned was Jin’s actual house, a group of a dozen bandits had arrived to search the surrounding land for their boss and companions, forcing the other five to hide where they could until they could slip away unnoticed. “Damn, I’ve got leaves stuck to me, too.” At that there was a chuckle from just above his head.

“It’s extra decoration, at the courtesy of Mother Nature herself,” snickered Milla, who was in much better form compared to earlier. Tora smiled to herself at her sister’s chipper tone while Jae-ha just sighed again. The area was rather peaceful; totally different from the chaos they had left behind. A gentle breeze rustled small patches of flowers and caused water to spray their faces from the leaves above them. Milla spotted a squirrel and almost choked Jae-ha trying to get him to stop to point it out. This caused the pair to fall behind a little, but it was honestly what Milla had been hoping for. "Hey, Jae-ha? I'm, uh, I'm sorry I shouted at you earlier. I was angry at myself for letting them take Tora and Kazumi away so easily, for not fighting for them, y'know? It wasn't right for me to take it out on you like that."

Jae-ha was quiet for a moment before shaking his head. "No need to apologise, Milla, dear. It was my own fault for freezing and not defending myself properly, so I may have deserved it. It was a careless mistake."

Milla hesitated for a few seconds, stretching out her injured leg as much as she could to make sure it didn’t stiffen, before continuing. "So... Why _did_ you freeze?"

"That young girl you sent flying with your wing. She got close enough that I could see her face, and, well... It was her eyes. More specifically the burning intensity that they held. The determination. She… reminded me too much of Yona." Jae-ha’s voice had gone quiet towards the end of his sentence, as if he didn’t trust himself to keep talking. Milla said nothing in response, instead squeezing his shoulder to show that she understood.

Suddenly, Yoon was yelling at them to hurry up, his voice sounding panicked. Jae-ha jogged to catch up to the other three, and it turned out that they had arrived back at the main part of town, hiding behind a wide building. The wood was rotten, damp, and contained as many holes as every other building seemed to. Tora turned to them, her expression slightly unnerved.

"I think Yona has gotten into bother. Shin-ah and Zeno are with her, but..."

 _"What? Hak isn't with her? Who has she run into?"_ Kazumi signed, her anxiety showing in the speed of her hands.

“Who has she met, Tora?” Milla repeated.

"It's Songmin and a few other men, along with... along with Jin."

Yoon and Jae-ha exchanged a wide-eyed look. “She must have decided to provide backup instead of coming after us, damn," Jae-ha said, gritting his teeth. In a flash, Kazumi took off into the town, not stopping even when Tora called for her to wait.

“Well, we can’t just stand here! Let’s go after her!” Milla urged, and the remaining four followed Kazumi in.

  
**********

   
"Hm? Where's the guy with the scary lookin' face from earlier? Y'know, the one who nearly broke my wrist." Jin rotated her wrist for dramatic effect and smirked, examining the three before her. _She looks tired,_ Yona observed, _probably because of blood loss from the wound on her shoulder. I wonder if I can use this?_ Yona moved round from behind Shin-ah to stand in front of him, keeping her eyes on Jin the whole time. It would be bad if she tried something now.

“Hak is coming. Listen, Jin, we don’t- !” In what seemed like only a few seconds, Jin had closed the gap between them and had come at Yona with her sword, Shin-ah only just managing to block her at the last second with a _clang_ as metal collided with metal. Zeno pulled Yona back and round behind him, taking a few more steps back for extra security. Yona couldn’t believe how fast Jin was.

"Sorry, hun, but I'm not one to waste an opportunity. Woman of action an' all that. You and yer friends have pissed me off somethin' shocking, hurtin' my family like ya have, so it's only right for me to tear a few holes in yers! Besides," Jin’s eyes were hard and cold, causing Yona to shiver, "kill the queen, and ya kill the hive. That’s a law of nature." Suddenly, Yona became aware of movement from behind Jin and Shin-ah, but she had noticed too late.

“Seiryuu, be careful!” Zeno yelled. The four men that had been standing with Songmin now had Shin-ah and Jin surrounded from all angles, each with their own swords, making it impossible for Shin-ah to go anywhere quickly. He was having enough trouble keeping Jin from skewering him herself without four more blades to worry about. Jin’s words had meant to serve as a distraction, and she had succeeded.  Still wrestling with Shin-ah to gain the upper hand, Jin yelled for her right hand without taking her eyes off her opponent.

“Songmin! _Go!_ ”

Just as quickly as Jin had moved a few minutes earlier, Songmin now towered over Yona and Zeno, his spear raised and his eyes full of the venom that had been present earlier. Zeno gritted his teeth as he whirled to face Yona and pushed her as hard as he could in the opposite direction, causing her to stumble backwards a little.

“Miss, run away! Go to the Mister and- !" Whatever Zeno was about to say next died in his throat, for the blade of Songmin’s spear had impaled him from behind, the tip and a little more protruding from his stomach. Zeno coughed and spat blood onto the front of his robes, the tip of Songmin’s spear dripping crimson. Yona froze and stared at him as he again screamed at her to run, coughing up a larger amount of blood this time and retching. She watched as it dripped from his chin and ran down his throat. Her mind was screaming. _Not again. This can’t be happening again. Leave him alone! Please, leave him alone!_ Songmin raised a foot and pushed against Zeno’s back to free his spear, causing Zeno to fold under the force applied to his back and fall to the ground, unmoving. Blood pooled on the ground around him from the gaping wounds on his back and front. Shin-ah was desperately trying to break free from Jin and the men, but he was completely trapped.

In one last attempt to save _someone_ , Yona reached behind her to grab an arrow from her quiver, but suddenly it was as if someone had blocked out the sun as Songmin stood over her, spear raised again, the blade slick with Zeno’s blood. Yona squeezed her eyes shut and turned away, bracing herself for the impact and the pain. _He’s too close, I can’t shoot him from here! I’m so sorry, everyone! Kazumi, Tora, I hope you make it out alright! Hak. Hak, I-_

Yona was pulled from her despairing thoughts as something bumped into her and a _clang_ resounded from above her head. Upon opening her eyes and turning back around, she saw that the _something_ was actually _someone_ , and that someone was Hak. He had blocked Songmin’s spear with the staff of his own glaive, pushing hard to keep Songmin’s blade away from them both.

“I thought I told you _not_ to stop running, Princess?” Hak’s voice was quiet and his tone flat, but Yona had known him long enough to know that Hak wasn’t calm at all – he was _angry_ , his blue eyes burning into Songmin’s own. With one great shove he forced Songmin back and away from them, before lunging headlong after him. There was a groan from Yona’s left, and turning around she saw Zeno sitting up, examining his bloodstained hands before wiping them down the front of his coat.

“Zeno!” Yona ran to him and knelt beside him, not caring about getting blood on her skirt at that moment in time. The blood around Zeno’s mouth had hardened and it cracked on his bottom lip when he smiled at her. The glint of golden scales was visible through the large hole left in his robes.

“Are you alright, Miss? See, Zeno told you that you’d be safe with us! Mind you, the Lad is going to be really mad about Zeno’s clothes. I might have to starve for a few days!” He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. Yona threw her arms around his neck, tears threatening to fall at any moment, and Zeno returned the hug while rubbing her back gently. Suddenly there were footsteps behind them, and looking up they saw the exasperated face of Kija as he took in the sight in front of him.

“Good grief, is everyone alright? Zeno, what happened to you?!” Kija crouched down on Zeno’s other side, gingerly pulling back the torn fabric of Zeno’s robes to reveal even more scales. He grimaced.

“I’m fine, thanks to Zeno,” Yona sighed heavily. “And Hak. He saved me at the last second. But what about you? What happened to all the bandits?”

Now it was Kija’s turn to sigh.

“Well, after Hak told you three to run, a group of them charged at us. They weren’t difficult to deal with, so we were expecting more to take their place, but they didn’t move. Those who were left backed off and disappeared into a different part of the village.” Kija lifted his right hand, examining the dried blood stuck to his claws. “We’d have arrived sooner, had we not gotten lost. This place is like a maze.”

Yona was about to respond when there was shouting from further along the street; Shin-ah had finally managed to shake Jin off long enough to take down the two men behind him, meaning he now actually stood a chance at running away if he needed to. Jin, however, was determined to make sure he didn’t have that luxury, and so continued to dive at him. Shin-ah always appreciated a skilled swordsperson, and Jin was _very_ skilled; she was keeping up almost effortlessly despite her injured shoulder. However, Shin-ah was also smart enough to know that he’d never be able to learn much from her, because she was much more interested in running him through with her blade. He felt like he was fighting a losing battle; it didn’t seem to matter what he did, for Jin was able to counter _all_ of it. Then, from the corner of his eye he saw a flash of orange, and the two remaining men let out cries of surprise before going silent. Both Jin and Shin-ah halted their duel to see what had happened, and Shin-ah had never been more relieved in his entire life.

“Kazumi.” At the sound of her name, Kazumi turned to face Shin-ah, one sword gripped tightly in each hand, and she beamed at him. Jin let out a short laugh.

“Ah, so ya made it out after all, eh? Not surprisin’, since ya blew half of my house away.” Kazumi had moved to stand beside Shin-ah, poised and ready to go. Jin smirked. “No matter, I can deal with ya both at once. C’mon, then!”

 

A little way away from the two separate fights, Milla, Tora, Yoon, and Jae-ha had arrived in an alley facing into the street. Their journey through Nampo’s winding streets had been eerily quiet; no bandits had tried to stop them from advancing. Everyone seemed to have completely disappeared. With Tora’s help they had arrived at the place they were now, and none of them were sure what to make of what they were looking at. To the far left, Yona and Zeno were on the ground sitting close together while Kija stood over them. At the centre of it all was Jin, who was fighting both Shin-ah and Kazumi at once and somehow doing okay. Finally, even further along the street were Hak and Songmin, who appeared to be locked in a rage-fuelled battle of spears. Despite being the furthest away, they were definitely the loudest, Tora noted.

“Shouldn’t we do something to help them?” Milla asked, her fingers digging into Jae-ha’s shoulders as her eyes flicked back and forth between the two battles. Jae-ha had to physically loosen her grip on him by rotating his shoulders while she mumbled a quick apology.

Tora shook her head. “No, we’re better where we are for now. It doesn’t look like anyone has noticed we’re here, except maybe Shin-ah, so let’s keep it that way.” Upon moving her foot, Tora accidentally kicked something on her left. Crouching down, she cautiously ran her hand along the ground until her fingers grazed something long and made of metal. _A sword_ , Tora realised. Finding the hilt, she lifted it and swapped it to her right hand. _Just in case._ Yoon, who had been watching her, couldn’t help but wonder what she was planning to do with it. Tora moved forward a little more, and then made a small movement with her hand.

 

Back across the battlefield, Shin-ah suddenly shoved Jin back towards the houses. Jin was now starting to tire, but Shin-ah’s decision roused a laugh from her. “Oh? Ya think pushing me that way will help? I could just run away, ya know.” However, Shin-ah persisted, driving her back bit by bit. Kazumi didn’t catch on immediately, but after one quick glance up as they got closer and closer to one alley in particular she understood, and pushed harder. After a few more blows, the two dragons eased up until they stopped coming all together, leaving Jin panting and confused, yet still smiling. "What's wrong, are ya done already? Do yer worst, I dare ya!" Her grin soon twisted into a face of surprise, however, when the tip of a slightly tarnished blade appeared through her gut. Jin dropped her sword in shock, and turned her head to see who was responsible; there stood Tora, appearing to stare right through Jin despite seeing nothing at all.

Everyone who saw what happened was in a state of dumb shock. Jin stared at Tora for a few seconds, a small amount of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Tora yanked her arm back and pulled the sword from Jin’s body, a crimson stain blooming on the front and back of Jin’s robes. Then, Jin started to laugh as she reached for her belt. “Ya sly bitch, I shouda known you’d pull somethin’ like this!” At that, Jin turned around and lunged forward at Tora, aiming low, her sickle in hand. Several voices screamed for her to move, but they needn’t have worried; Tora sidestepped Jin completely, grabbed the sword's hilt with two hands, and rammed the blade downwards into Jin's back. This time, Jin didn’t laugh.

"What was it you said earlier? 'Kill the queen and you kill the hive'? Well, I guess we'll get to see if that holds true after all." Tora stood over Jin’s body, clothes and hands sprayed with blood, looking something akin to a war goddess who had just delivered divine justice as the light breeze ruffled her hair. She didn’t remove the sword. Suddenly, there was an enraged half scream from across the street – Songmin was looking at Tora, and he was furious. Unfortunately for him, however, in his anger he had completely forgotten about Hak, who took the opportunity to slice him down his abdomen. Songmin stumbled backwards and hit the ground, hard. He tried to get up, but Hak had a foot on his shoulder and his glaive at his throat.

“Wait, Hak! Don’t do it!” Yona cried as she ran across to the two men, Kija and Zeno close behind her. Kazumi, Shin-ah, and the rest of the group now also drifted across the street to join them.

“It’s alright, Mister,” Zeno added. “He won’t last for much longer.”

Very slowly, Hak removed his foot from Songmin’s shoulder, and after one final ‘try anything and you die instantly’ glare, he drew back his glaive and kicked Songmin’s own spear away from him. There was a thin line on Songmin’s throat where the blade had cut him, a small amount of blood oozing from it. That was nothing however compared to the wound on his torso; almost the entire top half of his clothing was now stained red. Yona now moved to stand beside Hak, her brow furrowed as she met the gaze of the man at her feet.

"Yer quiver is near empty, girlie. Never good for an archer." Songmin’s voice was weak, his breathing laboured. He made a flimsy gesture to a barrel that was sitting on a porch of one of the buildings nearby. "Mine is in that barrel there, pretty much full. Take it. Someone is gonna use 'em, and I guess it may as well be you." He coughed, a horrible gurgling sound coming from his throat. “Now, get the hell out of here.” Yona just nodded, and the group wasted no time in gathering themselves together and going, in silence, back the way they had come. Yona was now carrying a quiver containing a mixture of Songmin's arrows and her own, a mixture of light and dark wood.

The group was long gone before the anguished cries of the remaining bandits filled the air of the streets of Nampo at the sight of their fallen leaders, the sun shining overhead feeling more like a ridiculer than a friend.

**Author's Note:**

> This little story is based off a friend and I's OCs we created when we decided we wanted some female dragon warriors (I love the boys, but I mean one female warrior would have been cool. Thank you Erin for creating these characters with me, and thank you Thais (itsclowreedsfault) for being my beta!). Enjoy!


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